KUALA LUMPUR – Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar expressed his sorrow over the passing of renowned liver surgeon Datuk Dr K.C. Tan, who specialised in liver transplants and had founded the Asian Centre for Liver Diseases and Transplantation (ACLDT) in Singapore’s Gleneagles Hospital in 1994.
The Johor ruler posted his message of condolences on his Instagram account, recalling how the doctor had treated his late son Tunku Abdul Jalil – who had passed away in 2015.
“Dr Tan headed the team of Singapore doctors who looked after and treated my late son Jalil.
“It is a strange coincidence that he passed away today, on the same day that Jalil left us. May Dr Tan rest in peace,” said the sultan.
In life, Dr Tan was executive chairman of the Asian American Medical Group (AAMG), and oversaw the construction of Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Centre – a private regional centre for cancer treatment, research, and education.
The 69-year-old graduated from Universiti Malaya in 1978, and later obtained his fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1982.
He furthered his studies between 1984 and 1987, picking up advance training in paediatric surgery in Manchester and Southampton, with further training in paediatric hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgery at King’s College Hospital, London.
In 1988, he was appointed as consultant surgeon and teacher in surgery at University of London. His tenure ended in 1994.
Throughout his career in the UK, Dr Tan had completed around 400 liver transplants for adults and children – including split-liver transplants, auxiliary liver grafts, five combined liver-kidney transplants, and one combined heart-liver transplant.
He then served as liver transplant programme director at National University Hospital, Singapore, 1995-2002.
With Dr Tan at the helm, ACLDT achieved milestones in Southeast Asia where the centre had successfully performed 200 living donor liver transplants in 2012.
ACLDT was rebranded as the Asian American Liver Centre in 2013, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of AAMG. – The Vibes, December 5, 2021
