By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Dec 1: The Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) is steadily taking shape, with physical construction progress hitting 40.19 per cent as of October 2025 and full completion targeted for October 2026.
Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development (MEITD) Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said SIDC has already been operating since February 2024 and is fast expanding its work in research, administration and facility management despite the facility still being under construction.
“Current works prioritise research on disease prevalence, diagnostics, and early vaccine and biotherapeutic capability, focusing specifically on diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB), malaria, dengue, African swine fever, rabies, filariasis and soil-transmitted parasitic infections,” he said in his winding-up speech in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) today.
He further revealed that SIDC has consolidated partnerships for diagnostics, vaccine development and surveillance, including Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with Quantoom Biosciences and EnsiliTech to support the VaxBioD vaccine programme under 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) worth RM50 million, targeting Sarawak’s first home grown vaccine by 2030.
On public health surveillance, Sagah noted that SIDC’s current monitoring in Bau, Padawan, Serian and Sri Aman will be expanded Statewide in 2026.
“This expansion will be supported by two major elimination programmes, namely the Sarawak Cervical Cancer Elimination Programme, funded at RM18 million; and the Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, funded at RM15 million,” he added.
To strengthen future medical capabilities, SIDC has also launched the PhenomeSk cohort to establish Sarawak’s genome database and advance precision medicine tailored for local populations.
“SIDC is rapidly enhancing its research and talent capacity through high-impact international collaborations and funding, including the establishment of the Ali Wallace Joint Research and Training Centre with Murdoch University, which will see an offshore SIDC office opened in Australia by mid-2026 to facilitate shared expertise and training,” he emphasised. – DayakDaily
