By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Dec 4: Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), despite being short of 4,000 staff, continues to rise as an internationally recognised top research hospital, so much so that a major pharmaceutical company from China has now come knocking on its door.
Speaking at MBKS’ Child Friendly Cities Initiative Candidate City recognition ceremony today, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said SGH’s achievements exemplify the boldness and resilience that define Sarawak’s nation-building journey.
He highlighted SGH’s landmark success in performing Malaysia’s first-ever intrauterine foetal surgery on Sept 22 for a baby with spina bifida, an operation conducted with a machine borrowed from Kuala Lumpur.
“Ministry of Health (MOH) questioned how SGH can operate 1,000 beds when it needs 4,000 extra staff. But SGH is brave and bold enough to do the surgery. That is the spirit of Sarawak,” he said, adding that the hospital has applied for RM1.3 million to acquire its own equipment for future cases.
Dr Sim, who is also Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, said SGH’s research reputation is unparalleled in Malaysia, with its specialists conducting studies after hours despite heavy clinical workloads.
Their excellence caught global attention including from Roche Medical, one of Switzerland’s largest pharmaceutical giants, which selected SGH last year as the first hospital in the Asia-Pacific region to conduct first-in-human trials for a new solid cancer treatment, making SGH the sole institution in Southeast Asia chosen for the research.
Just last week, he shared that the global president of a major China-based pharmaceutical company, projected to become China’s first trillion-dollar pharma giant, visited Sarawak personally after SGH successfully trialled one of its new compounds.
“They were so impressed and asked: why has Sarawak never promoted this in China? They did not know SGH is this good,” Dr Sim said.
He stressed that Sarawak doctors routinely “go the extra mile” and perform beyond expectations, proving that the State’s medical talent is world-class despite limited resources.
“Our doctors are not doing less than those in West Malaysia, but they go beyond what they need to do. That is the spirit of Sarawak nation building,” he said.
Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, MBKS Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng and UNICEF Representative to Malaysia Robert Gass were among the distinguished guests present. — DayakDaily
