By Asmahanim Amir
Photo Izwan Azman

CHERAS, 18 January 2019 – Hospital Chancellor Tuanku Muhriz Chancellor (HCTM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) has performed over 1,200 of Bariatric surgery since 1996, which is the highest number recorded by the hospital in Malaysia.

Gastrointestinal Specialists and Obesity Surgery, Assoc. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Nik Rtiza Kosai Nik Mahmood said initially, the bariatric surgery was done openly, but since the 1990s, there has been a change to laparoscopic surgery that is carried out through punching holes only.

“The laparoscopic surgery started from seven to eight holes, then five to three holes and now HCTM has advanced to a single incision through the umbilicus only. The patient suffered a very small surgical wound because only one hole of 5mm was punched in their umbilicus. So, the time for the patients to recover and return to their normal activity, including going back to work has been just only one week,” he explained.

The successfulness of the procedure has recorded a weight loss to a patient from 330kg to 144kg. However, Assoc. Prof. Dato’ Dr. Nik Ritza Kosai said this surgery can only be done once because it is just preliminary initiative for the patients to lose weight.

In fact, 75 percent of the whole package show this patient can lose a lot of weight is strongly depending on the patient himself. So patients really need to be motivated and disciplined with nutrition, where they are encouraged to eat a little but repeatedly.

Assoc. Prof Dato’ Nik Ritza Kosai also highlighted that the surgery is not only for weight loss, but now we can see the patients with diabetic problems are also well controlled even in two to three days after the surgery. “Through the surgery, we come to know that the procedure can alter hormone structure in the body to increase incretin hormones. These hormones will control diabetes better,” he explained. He explained the surgery was to alter the stomach structure (small intestine) to reduce the burden of diabetes.

He thanked his team, Dr. Mustafa, Dr. Raynu, Dr. Aznan, and Dr. Iman, all of whom can perform Bariatrics surgery on their own. They have their own patients, but we are united under one roof in one unit at HCTM,” he added.