Modern Circumcision in Brunei

My just turned 7 years old son was circumcised during the school holidays. He was scheduled to have done it together with a few of his cousins and anak buah last December but missed it as we were on holiday in KL. So this March, we had ample time to prepare. There is normally a fairly long queue at RIPAS, so it is best to book a time early. There are also a couple of private clinics which offer the circumcision services.

The circumcision procedure of today is very much different than that when it was done to me about 30 odd years ago. Today, we are given choices as to whether we want it done using a General Anaesthetics (GA) or a local one (LA). For a GA, one has to go a couple of days earlier to meet the anaesthetist. Generally this is available to younger children but some of the older more scared kids may ask for it. According to the Doctor, some 25% of boys chose GA. For those who wants to know the difference, the GA sends the boys to sleep but with the LA, they are awake.


So on the actual day, we were asked to come at 6.30 in the morning to the Children's Ward and my son was assigned a bed. The other kids who were supposed to go for circumcision mostly didn't arrive until about 7.30. By 8.30, the children were all wheeled in to the operating theatre. My son had a change of heart. He was asked by the anaesthetist whether he still wanted to go for a GA as the boy in the queue in front of him, slightly younger had opted for an LA. He was told that if he had the LA, he could have his meal earlier (he had fasted from the night before). If he went for the GA, it would be later in the afternoon before he can break his fast.



After consulting my wife, he opted for the LA and went through the operation wide awake and full of curiousity. My wife was allowed to wait and go into the operation room and the staff were very friendly. She managed to take a couple of photographs but was too scared to take a photo of the actual operation itself. After the circumcision, the staff gave a piece of paper with lots of instructions. I didn't remember being told what to do when I had mine. Anyway, it took about a few days for my son to recover from the circumcision.

Thank you to the friendly and professional doctors and nursing staff at RIPAS.

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