{
  "id": 18299293,
  "title": "Surgeon’s exit delays heart surgeries in Kelantan, Terengganu",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/surgeons-exit-delays-heart-surgeries-in-kelantan-terengganu-18299293",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-05T11:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/11/05/surgeon-s-exit-delays-heart-surgeries-in-kelantan-terengganu"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Heart patients in Kelantan and Terengganu may face extended waiting periods for surgery due to the resignation of the sole cardiothoracic surgeon serving the two states, according to Senator RA Lingeshwaran. The hospital in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, has been without a specialist since last month, leading to critical cases being sent to facilities in Selangor, Penang, or Kuantan, depending on availability. Senator Lingeshwaran claims that the decision by a surgeon at Penang Hospital to extend their no-pay leave may further delay surgeries, resulting in a backlog. This, coupled with the resignation of Dr Basheer Ahamed Abdul Kareem, head of the ministry’s cardiothoracic surgery department, has left only 12 cardiothoracic surgeons in the seven public hospital facilities in Malaysia, with one set to retire soon. Health officials Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab and HRPZ II director Dr Izamin Idris have not yet responded to inquiries about the situation.",
  "summary": "Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital which caters to patients from both states has been without a specialist since last month.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}