KUCHING: Sarawak needs more plastic surgeons to be placed in major hospitals in the state, said Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) Director Dr Ngian Hie Ung.
According to her, it can reduce congestion and the workload of the hospital’s Burn Unit which is the only one in the hospital.
So far, the unit has a 10-bed isolation ward managed by four plastic surgeons.
“As the only Burn Unit in Sarawak with a Plastic Surgeon, it is tasked to receive patients for fire and burn treatment from health care facilities throughout Sarawak.
“I hope that Sarawak will get more Plastic Surgeons soon so that they can be placed in other major hospitals in Sarawak,” said Dr Ngian.
She said this while speaking at the Borneo Plastic Surgery Symposium 2023 at the Imperial Hotel here today.
Dr Ngian revealed that in addition to SGH, Bintulu Hospital also has a new Burn Unit, but there is no plastic surgeon and only managed by a general surgeon.
“In 2022, a total of 1,029 patients have been treated at SGH’s burn ward as in-patients and out-patients.
“Another 199 burn patients have been treated at other major hospitals in Sarawak namely Sibu, Miri and Bintulu after consultation with plastic surgeons at SGH,” she said.
In addition to cases of burns and scalds, Dr Ngian said the SGH’s plastic surgery team has performed 635 major elective surgeries and 347 minor surgeries in 2022.
“It includes cases such as, excision of skin cancer, flap surgery for both cancer and traumatic wounds, tissue transfer without microsurgery, arteriovenous fistula creation (AVF), breast reconstruction, cleft lip and palate, hand surgery, open reduction and internal fixation of facial fractures and others,” she said.
Although there are only four plastic surgeons at SGH, she revealed that plastic surgery services in Sarawak have grown.
The move was successfully implemented through regular visits by plastic surgeons from SGH to the Sarawak Heart Centre as well as several other hospitals in Sri Aman, Sibu, Miri, Bintulu, Kapit, Limbang and Lawas to provide clinical and surgical services.
For the record in 2022, a total of 1,512 patients visited the Plastic Clinic and a total of 390 surgeries were performed.
Dr Ngian said the figure shows the commitment and dedication of the plastic surgery team to ensure that the service is accessible in this region and nearby districts.
