KOTA KINABALU: Hospital Tawau has marked a significant milestone after successfully performing an awake craniotomy, underscoring the growing capabilities of healthcare services in Sabah’s east coast.
The complex brain surgery, carried out while the patient remained semi-conscious, was performed on a 48-year-old woman with brain lesions on Monday.
In a statement yesterday, the state Health Department said the patient showed a positive response following the two-hour-30-minute procedure and is now in stable condition.
“She is being closely monitored,” it said, adding that prior to the surgery, the patient had undergone another form of treatment but showed no significant signs of recovery.
The department explained that the benefit of an awake craniotomy is that doctors are able to assess the procedure’s effectiveness and monitor potential side effects that may arise during the operation.
With this successful procedure, Hospital Tawau has demonstrated its readiness to deliver specialist healthcare services comparable to state-level facilities.
This development enables residents on Sabah’s east coast to access complex surgical treatment locally, without the need for referrals to tertiary hospitals, reducing travel-related expenses and other costs.
“The Sabah Health Department will continue to strengthen specialist services and expand access to quality medical treatment for the betterment of the people,” it said.
