Muhammad Sjaifuddin Noer: The man behind the face-off surgery

Loud applause was heard in a conference room at Dr Soetomo General Hospital when Dr Muhammad Sjaifuddin Noer entered the room from a side door. Dozens of people in the audience, made up of hospital visitors, young physicians, medical students of Airlangga University and reporters, excitedly greeted the 59-year-old surgeon."Well, I believe all of you have watched the process. We have started to slice the skin off

Lisa's face," said Dr Muhammad Sjaifuddin Noer, better known as Dr Din, and went on to explain the face-off surgery, the first of its kind ever to be performed in Indonesia. Lisa, whose real name is Siti Nur Jazillah, was seriously disfigured after acid was thrown in her face her three years ago. Under the face-off process, the skin of her entire face would be removed, and replaced with healthy skin from her back.

Dr Din took his seat among the audience and watched with them a monitor showing the progress of the surgery. He patiently explained the steps of the operation, and then returned to the operating theater to continue his work. That was three weeks ago. The surgery, which lasted 18 hours, was successful and made headlines around the country. Even the most difficult part of the surgery, reattaching the blood vessels together, went off without a hitch.

Dr Muhammad Sjaifuddin Noer was a key figure in the operation. Born in Bangkalan, Madura, the father of three is the chief of the face-off surgical team. "But, all this is the success of the entire team of doctors, helped by the prayers of the entire community," he said, humbly.

Dr Din is quite a famous name in Indonesia's medical world. The son of Muhammad Noer, a highly respected former East Java governor, he was chosen to take part in aesthetic surgery training at Pattaya, Thailand in 1984. In 1992 he went to China for tissue bank training and two years later he was off to Australia for a plastic surgery training course.

Formerly the tissue bank chairman of Dr Soetomo General Hospital, Dr Din gained even more respect when he was included in the team of doctors assigned to take care of the victims of the 2002 Bali bombing. "I have done numerous plastic surgery operations," said Din, who was also once a member of a team of doctors assigned to separate a Siamese twin.

Dr Din became interested in plastic surgery when he was a medical student at Airlangga University in 1975. "It is the art factor that distinguishes plastic surgery from the other forms of surgery," he said. He decided to become a surgeon, and completed his plastic surgery training in 1987.

Since then he has been known as an expert in plastic surgery. Doctors in Dr Soetomo General Hospital joke that Dr Din can repair the shape of a nose in just 10 minutes. Dr Din, who is married to a dentist, Rina Banarsari, can only smile at this joke. His expertise and reputation are what won him the position of chief of the face-off team.

Dr Din took pity on Lisa when he met her on January 24, 2006. She complained that whenever she had the flu, her right nostril would stick shut. Lisa, who comes from Malang, East Java, sustained her injuries when her husband, Mulyono, allegedly threw hydrochloric and sulfuric acid over her. Dr Din explained the face-off operation to her, and she agreed to it.

Dr Din said that he had been convinced of the surgery's success from the start. In 1997, he said, a similar operation had been conducted in Argentina. He convictions, however, did not take into account the huge cost of the surgery, rumored to be around half a billion rupiah. "The East Java provincial administration eventually decided to give help through the hospital."

Besides, he continued, several community organizations also donated to the cause. "We never expected to see such a great response from the community. On behalf of the team of doctors, I sincerely express our gratitude," he said.

After careful analysis and planning, and one postponement, the face-off surgery finally took place. Everything went as planned, without any significant hurdles. The team of doctors seemed to forget their fatigue, while they worked an 18 hour stretch. Badly damaged skin on Lisa's face was replaced with fresh skin.

After three weeks, Lisa's health has improved. She can now make phone calls, walk and do other activities. The doctors say she is past the critical period. The historic face-off surgery itself has earned favorable responses from several parties.

Minister of Health Fadillah Supari could not hold back her tears when she visited Dr Soetomo General Hospital and witnessed the successful surgery. "I realize a face is very important to a woman. The team of doctors has worked without hoping to get anything in return. This is really very rare," she said.