Sabah National Heart Centre needs advanced equipment and sufficient staff

12 August 2024

SELANGOR: The Sabah National Heart Centre needs to be equipped with advanced facilities, including the adequate number of staff, similar to those available at the Sultan Idris Shah Serdang Heart Hospital.

The Minister of Community Development and People's Well-being , who also serves as the State Health Exco, Datuk James Ratib, said that modern equipment and an adequate number of staff would facilitate more effective treatment for heart patients in the state and reduce risks to patients.

"In Sabah, there is currently a lack of facilities and specialised staff, particularly cardiologists who can provide the best services to heart patients in the state."

"Therefore, it is hoped that the Ministry of Health Malaysia, especially the Federal Government, will expedite the allocation of funds to the National Heart Center Sabah to enhance medical facilities and increase staff so that heart patients can receive more effective treatment," he said.

He made these remarks during an official visit to the Sultan Idris Shah Serdang Heart Hospital here on Monday.

He said that following the Prime Minister's announcement regarding the National Heart Institute (IJN) Sabah recently, the State Government welcomed it, and it needs to be built soon because the cost of heart treatment for a patient is high when referred to a cardiologist in the Peninsula.

At the same time, he also suggested that the Public Service Department (JPA) review the job grades for specialist doctors serving in Sabah to be in line with the positions held to prevent them from leaving public service.

"In line with current health challenges, the job grades for specialist doctors in Sabah also need to be reviewed. I understand that the job grade for cardiologists in Sabah is still at the UD 56 level, even though the workload they carry is very heavy," he emphasised.

Last April, the Prime Minister, during a visit to Sabah, announced that Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital (HQE2) would be renamed as the National Heart Center Sabah to meet the cardiac treatment needs in the state.

He also announced an allocation of RM 80 million to upgrade the hospital and to add three cardiologists and 120 trained support staff.

During the visit, James was taken to inspect several cardiac treatment rooms equipped with various advanced equipment and received briefings from some specialist doctors at the hospital.

Also present were Dr. Farique Rizal Abdul Hamid, Director of Sultan Idris Shah Hospital, Datuk Dr. Abdul Kahar Abd Ghapar, Director of the Heart Hospital, Petrus Mojuntin, Special Officer to the Minister of Community Development and People's Well-being of Sabah, and the respective Heads of the Cardiac Units at the hospital.