Dr Mohd Faizal is Sabah’s first Bajau specialist

Sabah's first Bajau anaesthetist credits parents for his success.

SEMPORNA: Dr Mohd Faizal Hisham, a native of Kampung Bubul, Semporna, one of 10 districts located on the east coast of Sabah, has the honour of becoming the first Bajau anaesthetist in Sabah.

He received his early education at Sekolah Kebangsaan Pekan Semporna and continued his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Abdullah in the same district. He had always been among the top students in the school, and after obtaining excellent results in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination in 1996, he pursued foundation studies in Humanitarian Science at University of Malaya (UM).

He obtained a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) at UM, and later continued his studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) where he earned his Masters of Medicine (Anaesthesiology).

Mohd Faizal, 35, the eldest of three siblings had served in almost every hospital in Sabah, including the Tawau General Hospital, Semporna Hospital, Likas Hospital, and was Deputy Director of Kunak Hospital.

He has also served at the Kubang Kerian Hospital in Kota Bharu, Kelantan and is currently an anaesthetist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kota Kinabalu.

When asked the recipe and secret of his success, Mohd Faizal, who is married and has a nine-year-old daughter, quipped,”I learned to persevere ever since primary school right up to my university days.

“In addition I owe my success to the encouragement and unselfish sacrifice of both my father, Datuk Mohd Hisham Abd Fattah and late mother Faridah Lbno Badri, who had never ceased to be my source of inspiration. Before my mother died in 1994, it had been her fervent hope that I become a doctor,” said Mohd Faizal, who received an Excellence Service Award in 2003.

- BERNAMA