The very first cochlear implant surgery procedure to be performed by a government hospital in Southeast Asia was recently performed at the Universitiy Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (PPUKM) in Malaysia. The surgery was performed on a 36-year old patient named Dewiseri Taib. Taib was partially deaf. The surgery is allows patients who are hearing-impaired to hear.

Lucknow in India now offers craniofacial surgery, a process in reconstructive surgery that involves reconstruction or contouring of the skull, face and jaws. It involves not just skin and tissue deformities but deformities in the bones as well.

In another story of a patient benefiting from medical tourism, an Indian hockey player underwent successful eye surgery in the US. Baljit Singh, an Indian hockey goalkeeper underwent surgery in a private hospital in Alabama, USA. The Indian athlete underwent surgery to have his damaged right eye repaired. The goalkeeper stayed in the hospital for two days to recover after undergoing the successful surgery that took two hours to complete.

Baljit injured his right eye after a freak accident. The goalkeeper was hit by a golf ball while practicing in Pune. The patient was airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).  AIIMS conducted a marathon emergency surgery on Baljit but could not promise the athlete recovery of full-vision. After his surgery, the goalkeeper was also admitted to the John Hopkins hospital for post-operative treatment. The goalkeeper went to Alabama to consult with ophthalmologist Robert Morris after doctors at the John Hopkins hospital in Baltimore said they could not guarantee full vision after surgery. Dr. Morris, a renowned doctor, studied all the information from the John Hopkins Center as well as the reports from AIIMS to determine the best course of action for the patient. Dr. Morris decided to do the operation to restore the damage right eye of Baljit. The operation is expected to fully-restore Baljit’s vision.

The All India Institute of Medical Services (AIIMS) is advocating the use of a minimally invasive spinal surgery for the spine. The doctors are advocating the use of the new method because it is safe, reduces blood loss, involves less pain and has a better recovery result. This was discussed during a Minimal Access Spinal Surgery Workshop at AIIMS.

The Kingdom of Jordan is promoting its medical industry to US patients in a bid to get a good share of the multibillion medical tourism industry. Jordan, which is predominantly a desert, is poor in natural resources so it is hoping to tap into medical tourism.