50 Years of Paediatric Surgery in Malaysia
This year of 2023 carries a very special significance to MAPS. It was exactly 50 years ago, in 1973 that the surgical speciality of Paediatric Surgery was first started to treat the surgically sick children in Malaysia. In conjunction with the Golden Jubilee of our service, MAPS was given the honor to host this year’s College of Surgeons Academy of Medicine of Malaysia ( CSAMM ) Annual Scientific Congress with the appointment of our honorable Deputy President, Prof Dr Shireen Anne Nah as the organizing Chairperson for the memorable event. Besides MAPS under the leadership of Mr Mohd Yusof Abdullah, the Golden Jubilee Anniversary event was also organized in partnership with Malaysian Society of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgeons, lead by Dr Yoong Boon Koon and Malaysian Upper Gastrointestinal Surgical Society under the leadership of Dr Hans Alexander Mahendran. It was held at the prestigious Hotel Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur from the 25th – 27th August 2023.
The event was coordinated smoothly, filled with fascinating lectures and symposia held simultaneously within the several meeting room in accordance to each surgical subspecialties respectively. With the encouraging support from sponsors consisting of many big names from the industry players who have been providing the technological tools and hardwares for surgery in Malaysia, attending participants from all over Malaysia as well as international representatives were kept fully occupied in between attending the programs as well as visiting the interesting booths set up by them.
For MAPS members, the highlight of the event was indeed during the last day of the event, during the program, “A Celebration of 50 Years of Paediatric Surgery in Malaysia”. Luminaries & pioneers of Paediatric Surgery in Malaysia were honored for their contributions, sacrifice and hard work in establishing the service in this country, many of whom singlehandedly set up Paediatric Surgical service in their respective state or institution for years before it flourished into standalone units.
The distinguished and ever exuberant Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Mahmud Mohd Nor was the rightful person given the honor to narrate the history of the birth of Paediatric Surgery in Malaysia for his tremendous role and personal experience during his tenure as head of Paediatric Surgical service until his retirement from the Ministry of Health. It was a moment full of nostalgic reminiscence looking at the humble beginning of the initial setting of Paediatric Surgery in Hospital Kuala Lumpur in the multidisciplinary wards until the eventual move to a more specialized paediatric setting at the Institute of Paediatrics during that phase. The talk was then continued by his illustrious succeeding protege’ and eventual mentor to most of the current generation of Paediatric Surgeons in Malaysia today, Dato’ Dr Zakaria Zahari.
Dato’ Zakaria reminisced the various challenges, milestones & achievements when he took the helm, based at the then newly set up Institute of Paediatrics, Hospital Kuala Lumpur in 1991 after taking the mantle from Dato’ Mahmud and carrying on the visions set by his far-sighted predecessor. Dato’ Zakaria led the Paediatric Surgical service until the eventual opening of the Kuala Lumpur Women and Children Hospital, Hospital Tunku Azizah on the 20th January 2020 just prior to his retirement in 2021. It was indeed a long and historic tenure filled with remarkable milestones and evolutions in the service, not just in the institute but all over Malaysia. We now have at least 1 resident Paediatric Surgeon in each state of Malaysia save for Perlis and Labuan owing much to his leadership and all those involved in training the surgeons to achieve this milestone.
Concluding the event was the ceremonial cake cutting ceremony lead by our President and current Head of Paediatric Surgical Service, Mr Mohd Yusof Abdullah, joined together by the senior consultants from both public and private sectors. Many of whom are still in service while a few that has retired also took the time to join the camaraderie. It was indeed a very momentous and joyous event for everyone who attended to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our small but impactful family of Paediatric Surgical service providers.
Congratulations to Prof Shireen and the organizing committee for organizing the memorable celebration and the overall meeting that will be forever etched in the memory of all those attending.
