SANDAKAN: Sabah’s healthcare sector has recorded a major milestone after specialists from across the state came together at Hospital Duchess of Kent (HDOK) here to successfully perform the hospital’s first complex “free flap” reconstructive surgery on a young man suffering from a massive jaw tumour.
According to an HDOK statement issued on Friday (May 15), the patient had been living with an ameloblastoma, a tumour affecting the lower left jawbone, for more than five years.
The condition had progressively worsened over time, severely affecting his daily life.
In the intricate 15-hour surgery, specialists successfully removed a 400g tumour before reconstructing the patient’s jaw using fibula bone harvested from the patient’s own leg.
The highly specialised procedure also utilised high-precision digital surgical planning technology and virtual simulations with the anaesthesia team, marking a significant advancement in Sabah’s healthcare capabilities.
“This success is expected to become a catalyst for more high-level treatments for the benefit of the people of Sabah,” HDOK said.
The hospital said the historic operation was made possible through a rare statewide collaboration involving oral and maxillofacial surgery specialists from Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu, Keningau, Lahad Datu and Tawau.
Leading the surgical team in Sandakan were Dr Jeremy Lee Ju Kuan and Dr Azuriyati from HDOK, alongside Dr Rubindran Muthusamy from Hospital Queen Elizabeth II in Kota Kinabalu, Dr Ahmad Fadhli Badruddin and Dr Steve Maisi representing Keningau and Lahad Datu, respectively, as well as Dr Komalam Mugunam from Hospital Tawau.
The hospital also credited its anaesthesiology team for carefully planning and managing the lengthy procedure, while sponsors provided meals for the surgical team during the fasting month.
The patient is now recovering well and is said to be highly satisfied with the outcome of the treatment.
The successful surgery is being seen as a breakthrough for Sabah’s public healthcare system, reflecting the growing capability of local specialists to perform high-level reconstructive procedures previously only available in major medical centres.
