By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 9: The old Miri City Council building is currently being renovated to house the upcoming Fudan Institute of Integrative Medicine, which is expected to be ready by the end of this year, says Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.
Dr Sim said the establishment of the institute followed his visit to Fudan University in Shanghai in June this year, which paved the way for closer collaboration in medical research between Sarawak and the renowned Chinese university.
“The building is being renovated now and hopefully by the end of the year it will be ready. Part of the building will already be used soon.
“Next week, Fudan will also participate in the Sarawak Mega Fair in Singapore, taking place from Oct 16 to 19, to showcase artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnostic medicine,” he said.
He revealed that the institute will be housed in the old Miri City Council building, which is being refurbished while retaining its heritage architecture.
“Yes, the renovation has started. We are not demolishing it. It’s our heritage — we cannot just knock everything down. Otherwise, our Astana (in Kuching) would be gone too,” he added in jest.
Dr Sim was met by reporters after officiating the ‘Digital Sarawak – Blockchain Infrastructure for a Smarter Borneo’ opening ceremony held at Borneo Cultures Museum here today.
He highlighted that blockchain technology is increasingly integrated into daily life, including banking, digital identity, art authentication and data protection.
He said that in the future, medical records would also need to move to blockchain systems to ensure better security and privacy.
The event also witnessed the exchange of three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) between Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Sarawak Branch and Metadise Sdn Bhd; Kuching Blockchain Technology Association (KBTA) and Access Blockchain Association Malaysia (ACCESS Malaysia); and Youniverse Games Sdn Bhd and Metadise Sdn Bhd.
The MOUs aim to strengthen collaboration in blockchain development, digital innovation and industry-academia partnerships in Sarawak.
The conference, themed ‘Blockchain Infrastructure for a Smarter Borneo’, brought together more than 600 participants and 28 speakers from the region to explore opportunities in blockchain adoption across sectors.
Among those present were Senator Dato Ahmad Ibrahim; Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon; KBTA president James Gan; Business Events Sarawak (BESarawak) General Manager for Business Development and Services, Anedia Kahar; and UiTM Sarawak Branch Rector Prof Dr Firdaus Abdullah. – DayakDaily
