Anaesthesiology Department

The Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care started functioning on June 1st 1965 with Dr A Ganendran as the head of the department. He was appointed as the first Professor of Anaesthesia in Malaysia. Professor Ganendran received his anaesthetic training in Liverpool under Professor T C Gray, a famous pioneer in modern anaesthesia and, in turn, many anaesthetic academic trainees from University Hospital trained at Liverpool. Amongst these trainees were Dr Liew Pak Shim and Associate Professor Peter Kam Chin Aik. Professor Ganendran was a cardiac anaesthetist with a special interest in intensive care and parenteral nutrition. He studied the clinical and biochemical aspects of malathion poisoning in patients admitted into the Intensive Care Unit, for which he gained an MD from Bristol University.

The University Hospital was the first hospital in Malaysia and Singapore to have Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN). The Intensive Care Unit The first Intensive Care Unit in Malaysia was set up on January 18th 1969 at the University Hospital with Professor Ganendran as its head. He pioneered the treatment of organophosphorus poisoning and the Intensive Care Unit became a centre of referral for organophosphorus poisoning and the Department, developing techniques of measuring serum and red blood cell cholinesterase. Professor A E Delilkan was appointed to the chair of Anaesthesia after Professor Ganendran emigrated to Australia. Professor Delilkan pioneered the treatment of cerebral protection in patients with head injury in the Intensive Care and campaigned tirelessly within the Faculty and among the public to promote understanding of Brain Death leading to its eventual acceptance in the community. Professor AE Delilkan retired in 2000 after many years of dedicated teaching. In recognition of his contribution the University of Malaya awarded Professor Delilkan the title of Professor of Excellence. Obstetric analgesia and anaesthesia and Pain management. The University Hospital established Malaysia’s first obstetric analgesia and anesthesia with epidural, spinal and general anesthesia in 1989 under Dr. Chan Yoo Kuen. The University Hospital established Malaysia’s first acute and chronic pain management service under Professor Delilkan and Professor Ramani Vijayan.

In 1975, Professor Ganendran obtained for the University Hospital the recognition as a teaching hospital for the Faculty of Anaesthetists of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. It was the first Malaysian hospital recognised for this training, and it was an international acknowledgment of the high standard of care and training in the department. In June 1987, the Master of Anaesthesiology degree programme was started by the University of Malaya. This is a four year Master of Anaesthesiology course and The course provides for basic specialist training in anaesthesia and also provides subspecialty anaesthetic training. The aim is to enable the degree holder to carry out all the duties of the consultant in the specialty of anaesthesiology in any hospital in Malaysia. The course programme was developed by Professor Delilkan.

In June 1987 the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Malaya introduced the Master of Anaesthesiology degree course. The first candidates to complete the course graduated in June 1991. This course has been fully supported by the Ministry of Health through scholarships or paid leave granted to applicants for the whole duration of each course. This support has enabled many doctors in Ministry of Health hospitals to acquire formal specialist training in anaesthesiology, with a resultant increase in the number of practicing anaesthesiologists in the country.

In December 1988 the Part I, Master of Anaesthesiology Examination was conducted jointly with the Faculty of Medicine of the University Kebangsaan Malaysia. This was the first major step by the two universities to establish a conjoint Master of Anaesthesiology. The conjoint examinations are now fully established for the two universities and future, linkages with the other national universities will be developed. The four year course, leading to the degree of Master of Anaesthesiology, provides:

1. Specialist training in anaesthesia, pain medicine, resuscitation and intensive care,
2. Subspecialty training in anaesthesiology,
3. Exposure to research methodology.

The aim of the degree programme is to enable the anaesthesiologist to practice independently in anaesthesia in a Malaysian hospital as well as to inculcate a lifelong commitment to excellence and learning.

-