PETALING JAYA: Being a surgeon can be rewarding in many ways, but the job is also challenging. For Malaysia’s pioneer paediatric craniomaxillofacial surgeon Dr Firdaus Hariri, a day at work can mean being on his feet for up to 16 hours at a stretch, while staying mentally and physically focused.
His task is rather delicate as it entails operating on a child’s misaligned head, neck, face, jaws, mouth and teeth. He said the surgery can include correcting a child’s uneven jaw. Equally important is his commitment to parents on their child’s welfare.
The 44-year-old professor at Universiti Malaya’s Faculty of Dentistry has four degrees to his name, including a Master’s in oral maxillofacial surgery from Hong Kong.
His call to serve as a surgeon began in 2004 when, as a 26-year-old, he was posted as a dental officer to Kuching, Sarawak.
“I was there for two-and-a-half years. The oral health division at Sarawak General Hospital always sent me to a few special needs schools. There were children affected by cerebral palsy and Down syndrome among others there. Treating them touched me to the core,” he told theSun.
Firdaus started to notice children who had asymmetrical faces with deranged jaws.
“I saw children with unique features. Some of them required a breathing tube. Some of the patients could be as young as five years old. I felt sad looking at them.
“Dentistry is about treating teeth but I started to wonder why these children were this way. I felt that I could be doing more to help. Seeing the children in Sarawak gave me the idea to help others with similar circumstances. The experience prompted (me on) the path to my current role.”
To pursue his dream meant taking up another degree, which he pursued in Hong Kong.
“My first involvement in reconstructive craniofacial surgery was in 2009. It was a 16-hour operation on a 16-year-old girl diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome, which is a genetic disorder where the seams of the skull are abnormally fused.
“It was a surgery that changed both our lives and is one of the reasons why I chose this path.”
The choice meant being away briefly from his wife, Norhafizah Md Shariff, who was pregnant with their first child.
“She had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome, which made it harder for us to have children.
“It was hard being apart from my wife and unborn child,” he said, adding that they were surprised by the pregnancy.
Firdaus said although it seemed that all was well on the surface, he started to doubt himself as, while he was studying, there was no income to support his family.
At this point, Norhafizah financially supported him with his continued education.
He recounted a surgery on an eight-month-old boy that also had Crouzon syndrome which required some creativity.
The boy was the youngest patient he ever treated, he said.
“His skull was soft and since we didn’t want the pins to puncture his brain, we had to create a headgear that looked like (a helmet),” he said, adding that the screws on the device needed to be adjusted by 1mm a day.
Apart from post-surgery recovery, some parents fear that they would end up with a hefty bill that could come up to more than RM70,000.
“Thankfully, there is a Welfare Department with the university’s hospital, good people and non-governmental organisations willing to help.”
As a pioneer, Firdaus has made it his mission to get the right message across to people.
In 2016, he published a book titled Doc & Roll as reference material for future surgeons in his sub-speciality.
“I hope more people will embark on a career as a craniomaxillofacial surgeon.”
Firdaus said his efforts are a way of doing something good, not just for his family but for the country.
