ADK doctors perform first successful surgery to remove brain tumour

Three Maldivian doctors at the private ADK hospital have successfully removed a brain tumour in the first time the surgical procedure was performed in the Maldives.

ADK managing director Ahmed Affal told local media yesterday that neurosurgeon Dr Ali Niyaf, and general surgeons Dr Abdulla Ubaid and Dr Ibrahim Moomin performed the surgery on July 4.

The patient was a 47-year-old Maldivian woman. She has since been released and is in good health, Affal said.

The patient did not suffer common side-effects such as speech impediment and facial paralysis, he noted.

The first successful removal of a brain tumour in the Maldives represents significant progress for the local health sector, Affal said.

The hospital is now equipped with facilities to perform neurosurgeries, he added, and will be performing similar procedures in the future.

Affal expressed concern with the government’s health insurance scheme ‘Aasandha’ not covering brain surgeries performed in the Maldives.

Aasandha, however, covers the costs of performing brain surgeries overseas, including travel expenses.