The procedure is a treatment option for those struggling with obesity and although it is more popular in the US, St Mary’s Hospital became one of the early adopters of ESG in the UK.
Yong, who is a consultant gastroenterologist and bariatric endoscopist at the hospital, also led the team who performed the hospital’s first procedure in May.
“This is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure performed under general anaesthesia,” Yong, 38, told FMT Lifestyle. He was recently in Malaysia as a guest speaker at the Internal Medicine Symposium 2024 hosted by Sunway Medical Centre.
During the procedure, he shared, a thin and flexible tube with a small camera is passed through the patient’s mouth into the stomach. A tiny device at the end of the tube is used to stitch and fold parts of the stomach wall, resulting in a 70-80% reduction in the stomach’s volume.
ESG, designed to be a day-case procedure, leads to a sensation of fullness, or satiety, and reduces the portion of food consumed at any one time.
“Patients also appreciate that it’s reversible, which means the stitches can be removed if they don’t like it,” said Yong, who is also in charge of training aspiring gastroenterologists at the hospital.
He added that to equip himself with the relevant knowledge and refine his skills, he attended various courses and learnt from experts.
“Just with any new innovation, the main challenge is presenting the case across to the relevant stakeholders and collaborating with various parties,” he explained, adding that these included those from their hospital’s finance and clinical governance departments as well as dieticians.
Nevertheless, he added, it was the values that embody the “Malaysia Boleh” spirit that kept him going. “Teamwork, for example, and working together to make an endeavour a success. It’s also about perseverance and believing in yourself. If you don’t trust yourself to introduce something, nobody will trust you.”
Several months ago, news surfaced that Yong, a straight-As STPM student from Penang, failed to obtain a seat to study medicine in Malaysia, resulting in him leaving the country for the UK to study medicine there on a loan.
However, Yong clarified that he is a Klang Valley boy, never sat for the STPM examinations, and wasn’t denied a place to study in Malaysia.
Instead, he did a twinning programme with International Medical University (IMU) and the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He also didn’t take a study loan.
Upon graduation, he said, he worked in various parts of the UK. But despite being away from home for over 15 years, Malaysia is still very much in his heart, he said.
The former student of Victoria Institution in KL added that the school’s motto of “Be Yet Wiser” is still ingrained in him. “There are many ways of interpreting it, but essentially, it’s to encourage students to achieve extraordinary things,” he explained.
Recalling how he felt upon completing the first ESG procedure, he said: “It’s a feeling of satisfaction because the patient said that he ‘felt more alive.’ It’s given me the motivation to achieve more, not just with ESG, but with everything else.”
According to Yong, obesity is a staggering global problem. Closer to home, based on last year’s National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), 53.5% of Malaysians screened were found to be either overweight or obese.
“Now, we have a way to tackle this problem, and I would like to play my part along with the brilliant medical minds in Malaysia,” he shared.
“My hope is to come back, bring this and serve the people here,” he added.