Sabah Health Director Datuk Dr Rose Nani Mudin said in the past, people from Tawau and nearby east coast districts had to be referred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu for neurosurgery.
"The neurosurgeon will do all the work including being active on-call, ward rounds, clinics, surgery - both elective and emergency surgeries," she said when contacted. She also said that with neurosurgery services available in Tawau, patients and their families can save money and time. Dr Rose said the first victim to undergo the procedure was a 55-year-old woman from Tawau with Meningioma with Subdural Haemorrhage and Significant Midline Shift, a type of tumour on the brain membrane on May 5.She said the patient was already in a critical stage when she underwent the operation.