Mr. Ananda Arumugam

Information

Dr. Ananda Arumugam is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, with advanced expertise in brain surgery, spine surgery, skull base surgery and neurovascular surgery. He manages a wide range of complex brain and spinal conditions, including brain tumours, intracranial aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), traumatic brain and spinal injuries, and other neurological conditions requiring neurosurgical treatment. He obtained his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from Melaka Manipal Medical College in 2005 and completed his Master of Surgery in Neurosurgery (MS Neurosurgery) at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 2014.

Dr. Ananda further advanced his expertise through a Fellowship in Skull Base and Neurovascular Surgery in Seoul, Korea, where he received specialised training in the surgical management of complex skull base and cerebrovascular conditions. His clinical practice includes brain tumour surgery, spinal surgery, endoscopic brain and skull base surgery, aneurysm surgery, AVM surgery and minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures. His advanced training enables him to provide individualised surgical management for patients with challenging brain, spine and neurovascular conditions.

His neurosurgical expertise also includes minimally invasive and image-guided approaches, which may be used where appropriate to improve surgical precision while minimising disruption to surrounding healthy structures. Treatment is carefully planned according to the location and complexity of the condition, neurological function and each patient’s individual clinical needs.

Dr. Ananda is also involved in advancing neurosurgical care in Sabah. On 5 January 2026, he led the multidisciplinary team at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital that successfully performed the hospital’s first awake craniotomy with tumour debulking, making KPJ Sabah the first private hospital in Sabah to successfully perform an awake craniotomy. This specialised form of brain surgery allows the surgical team to continuously assess important neurological functions while operating on selected areas of the brain.

In addition to clinical practice, Dr. Ananda contributes to neurosurgical education and research, including work involving intracerebral haemorrhage and minimally invasive clot evacuation techniques. Through his expertise in complex brain surgery, spine surgery, skull base surgery and neurovascular neurosurgery, he continues to provide comprehensive and patient-centred neurosurgical care for patients in Kota Kinabalu and across Sabah.