Opting for the best choice for surgery and treatment

Front row, from left: Head of Department of Chinese Medicine Dr Te Kian Keong, Dr Chin, David Hsu, Dr Wong, Prof Cheong, Noblecom Medical Group Medical Coordinator Sharon Kee (second from right), FMHS Deputy Dean for Student Development and Industrial Training Prof Dr Alan Ong Han Kiat (most right) and audiences

Second row, from left: Datuk Freddy Chan and Datuk Lim Si Cheng

Getting a treatment can be as troublesome as the illness itself, especially when the treatment costs a fortune and involves high risk.

To address that, Dr Joseph Wong Wai Yan, a senior lecturer of Urology at National Taiwan University Hospital-cum-chief executive officer of Noblecom Healthcare Malaysia outlined five aspects to consider before making the decision. The five aspects include considering the type of surgery, the fame of the institution, the experience of the expertise, cost of treatment and the worrisome of the whole treatment experience.

With the latest technology equipment, surgery can have a minimum incision size with faster recovery time. This is achieved through the usage of a robotic surgical system that allows minimum incision with the size as small as one or two centimetres long.

“There are four robotic surgeries available in Malaysia, compared to 49 in Taiwan. Perhaps one day we would have the fund to have robotic surgery in UTAR Hospital,” said Dr Wong. The UTAR Hospital is currently under construction and is located opposite of UTAR Kampar Campus. The hospital will have more than 350 beds and will offer traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda.

When it comes to trusting the experience of a doctor or an institution, words-of-mouth is a strong influencer. This, however, comes in second place as now patients strongly rely on “Googled” information regarding the background of an institution or finding a better doctor. Other than that, specialist recommendation also highly influences the choice made by patients. In a nutshell, confidence in the choice of institution is highly sought after by patients to undergo treatment and surgery.

Dr Wong provides swift response, arrangement and care for those who consult him

The cost of treatment and surgery is always a major factor. While it is generally understood that a big amount of money is needed to treat major problems like cancer and stroke, the cost for the best and the least treatment may not be so different. “You will be surprised that the treatment offered by Taiwan’s best institutions does not cost significantly higher than the local ones,” said Dr Wong.

Dr Wong shared his expertise in decision making when it comes to major disease and surgeries at UTAR Sungai Long Campus on 13 February 2020 at a public lecture organised by Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS).

Subsequently, Chief Director of Tungs' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital Dr Chin Jo-Ping shared his expertise in the application of high-tech hybrid operating room in the modern brain surgery. His reputation in neurosurgery precedes him, including being invited to New York to perform his skills. The application of high-tech hybrid operating room includes deep brain stimulation (DBS) which caters for problems like Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, tremor and Alzheimer's disease. In terms of psychosurgery, high-tech hybrid operating room caters for drug addiction, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia and multiple sclerosis.

Prof Cheong (left) presenting token of appreciation to Dr Chin

The talk was attended by Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia (TECO) Director of Economic Division David Hsu, CEO of Nirvana Malaysia Datuk Freddy Chan, UTAR Council Member Datuk Lim Si Cheng, Dean of FMHS Emeritus Prof Dr Cheong Soon Keng, staff and students.