About Us

Penang Weight Loss Clinic & Surgery is a ‘One Stop Centre’ specifically established to help and support you achieve your goal to become healthy and improve obesity related problems by losing weight efficiently, effectively & safely through lifestyle changes, dietary modification, exercise, medication, endoscopic procedures and bariatric surgery. This multidisciplinary weight management center is the brainchild of two colleagues who are trained and nationally credentialled Bariatric Surgeons experienced in weight management. Penang Weight Loss clinic is located at Room 133 & 135, Block B, Gleneagles Hospital Penang.

Mission

Our mission is to advocate health and wellness, offering our services and expertise to help everyone around us live healthier, happier and longer.

Vision

Our vision is to be a premier multidisciplinary weight management centre helping to empower a society that is healthy and happy.

Founders

Mr. Vimal K. Vasudeavan

Consultant General & Bariatric Surgeon
(with special interest in MIS)

Mr Vimal is a small town boy from Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan. He completed his MBBS degree from Karnatak University, Dharwad, India in 1991. He subsequently completed Masters in General Surgery from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) in the year 2000. Upon completing his gazettement as a general surgeon, he was transferred to the department of surgery Hospital Taiping where he served from 2001 – 2009. Mr Vimal was the head of department of surgery at Hospital Taiping from 2002 – 2009. It was during that time that he took a keen interest in minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopy). He obtained a fellowship in advanced laparoscopy from India (FMAS) in 2007 and later in France (2007). In the year 2009, he left government service and joined Gleneagles Hospital Penang as a resident consultant general and minimally invasive surgeon.

As a consultant general surgeon, he performs various general surgical procedures for benign and malignant diseases. He also perform diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopies both for upper and lower GI tract. His extensive work in minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopy) has made him an expert in minimally invasive surgery for benign and malignant conditions of thyroid, hyperhydrosis (excessive sweating), esophagus, stomach, GERD, hiatus hernia, spleen, gall bladder, small bowel, colorectal, bariatric and hernias (groin and abdominal wall – single, recurrent and complex).
Over the years, he has accumulated a vast experience in the area of minimally invasive surgery and as teaching and sharing of knowledge is his passion, he has trained many surgeons (both locally and internationally) in the area of various minimally invasive surgery (especially hernia, colorectal, upper GI, bariatric and thyroid). Many of the surgeons he trained have gone on to become great minimally invasive surgeons.

During his years of practice (both government and private), he has conducted numerous training workshops to benefit current and future generation of surgeons. Together with an esteemed group of surgeons he founded the society of endoscopy and laparoscopic surgery of Malaysia (SELSMA) and Malaysian Hernia Society (MHS). He is the founding president of both these national societies. He is also a board of governor of endoscopic and laparoscopic surgeons of asia ( ELSA), a trainer with asian endoscopic task force (AETF) and advanced colorectal surgery (ACrS) with Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University Malaysia).

In his capacity as president of SELSMA and MHS he has organized many congresses at national and international levels. The highlight, being the congress president for ELSA 2018 in KLCC, Kuala Lumpur. During his government service, he was awarded the excellence service award twice.

Mr Vimal is an avid researcher and has published numerous articles in local and international journals. Recently he co-authored the consensus for obesity surgery in Malaysia. He has also given extensive invited lectures, spoken at panel discussions and participated actively in continued professional development activities. Together with Mr Kiru he is the co-founder of Penang Weight Loss Clinic & Surgery, which specializes in the Multidisciplinary Team approach for managing people living with obesity (PLWO) and their medical conditions.

He is happily married with two wonderful children and he is a passionate supporter of Liverpool football club (YNWA). Recently, Mr Vimal has picked up an interest in everything related to coffee. His motto in life is “work hard and play harder”.

Mr. Kirubakaran Malapan

Consultant General, Breast, Endocrine
& Bariatric Surgeon

Mr Kirubakaran Malapan served in the Ministry of Health Malaysia for almost 20 years at various government hospitals including Hospital Taiping, Hospital Ipoh, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun. He obtained his MBBS degree from Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) in 1999 and completed training in General Surgery in 2008 from Universiti Sains Malaysia(USM). He subsequently completed Subspeciality training in Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery from Taiwan in 2013 and Breast & Endocrine Surgery from Malaysia in 2014.

He was posted to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB), Ipoh and was instrumental in setting up the Breast & Endocrine Surgery Unit and Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery services for Perak State in 2014 which is one of the referral centers for Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities. He obtained the ESPEN Diploma of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism in 2018.

Mr Kiru is a member of the College of Surgeons, the Breast & Endocrine Chapter of the Academy of Medicine, the Malaysian Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Society (MyMBS), the National Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Framework Committee, MOH and one of the founder members of the Society of Laparoscopic & Endoscopic Surgeons of Malaysia (SELSMA). He served as the Malaysian Medical Association (Perak Branch) Vice Chairman from 2016-2017 and its Chairman from 2017-2019. Mr Kiru was awarded the Excellence Service Award from the Ministry of Health Malaysia (Anugerah Cemerlang KKM) 3 times in 2002, 2008 and 2015.

He has also contributed to the field of academics and published several scientific publications in peer reviewed journals, presented at scientific meetings, workshops, CME’s, public talks both locally and internationally. He was also involved in the National Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Framework Committee whom co-authored the consensus for obesity surgery in Malaysia.

In 2019, Mr Kiru embraced a new challenge and ventured into private practice as a General, Breast & Endocrine and Bariatric Surgeon at Gleneagles Hospital Penang, Malaysia. He is an experienced clinician skilled in General Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Breast Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Bariatric & Metabolic Surgery and Nutrition & Metabolism. Together with Mr Vimal, they co-founded Penang Weight Loss Clinic & Surgery, which specializes in the Multidisciplinary Team approach for managing people living with obesity (PLWO) and their medical conditions. Dr Kirubakaran and his team from Penang Weight Loss Clinic at Gleneagles Hospital Penang is credited with the 1st Elipse Gastric Balloon placement in the Asia Pacific region in May 2020.

Mr Kiru believes in treating his patients holistically and advocates health awareness & preventive medicine. He is a passionate educator and keen to embrace and collaborate on innovative ideas and technology to improve patient outcomes.

Meet our multidisciplinary team of experts

Consultant Psychiatrist

Dr Zasmani Shafiee

PKT, MBBS(Mal), M Med(Psychiatry)(UKM), Dip Child & Adolescent Psychiatry(Lond)

Case Manager & Bariatric Nurse

Ms Chow Fong Fong
Ms Lee Ye Pei

Ms Chow and Ms Lee are the back bone of our team and always available to take care of our patients care, follow up and appointments.

Dietitian & Certified Diabetes Educator

Ms Ivy Isidora Cheah Hsiao Yong

A dietitian practices medical nutrition therapy to treat people who are overweight or obese, and also people with certain health conditions.

Clinical & Administrative Assistant

Ms Ang Fong Ling

Meet our unsung heroes at Penang Weight Loss Clinic & Surgery who run our day to day activities from behind the scenes.

Multimedia, Communications & IT Assistant

Ms Nur Najihah

Meet our unsung heroes at Penang Weight Loss Clinic & Surgery who run our day to day activities from behind the scenes.

Psychotherapy, Counselling & Behaviour Modification.

Ms Synthia Surin

Synthia Surin was educated in London and is a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist with integrated skills in Psychotherapy, Counselling and behaviour modification. She is also an Advanced EFT Practitioner, Mental Health Trainer. She is an experienced Counsellor and a Professional Development Coach. Synthia is currently the Asia Regional Director of ICCHP ASIA

Synthia is also a consultant for behavioural Modification for Obesity Management. She employs specific problem solving therapies that help patients explore their weight-related health behaviours. Patients are assisted in developing and implementing a specific plan for the desired behaviour, and then she evaluates the success of their solution. One of the techniques she uses is (BCT) Bahavioural Choice Treatment which is a non –dieting approach that aims for moderation in healthy eating and exercise patterns after surgery.

The key skills of BCT include moderating caloric restriction through small changes in eating and exercise. Her patients learn self-monitoring, are encouraged to engage social support networks and augment self-efficacy to sustain behaviors over time.

As a Behavioural Health Care Specialists she engages two practical primary care techniques to facilitate patient motivation. Firstly, Motivational Interviewing and secondly, Behavior Choice Treatment, which includes a family based approach to the behavioral modification in the management of obesity.

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