Dr Sim says Health Ministry’s ‘One State, One Heart Centre’ Policy Unsuitable for Sarawak

suppadmin | November 1, 2025

Sarawak Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, has stated that the Health Ministry’s “One State, One Heart Centre” policy is not suitable for Sarawak due to the state’s vast size and scattered population.

He said the policy might work for smaller states in Peninsular Malaysia, but it is clearly unrealistic for Sarawak, which is geographically equivalent to ten Peninsular states combined.

“This model does not fit Sarawak. We are asking for the same standard as in Peninsular Malaysia as there should be a heart centre within every three to four hours’ travelling distance. There cannot be a double standard when it comes to healthcare in Sarawak,” Dr Sim said in a Facebook post.

He revealed that the Ministry of Health (MoH) had conducted on-site visits and assessments at Miri and Sibu hospitals on October 22 and 23 to prepare for the tender process for building interventional cardiac catheterisation laboratories (ICL), which are essential facilities for setting up “mini satellite heart centres.”

According to Dr Sim, each ICL costs between RM10 million and RM12 million to build and can handle about 60 to 70 percent of the workload of the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan.

“Once completed, Sarawak will have one full-fledged heart centre equipped with cardiac surgery facilities in Kuching, and three mini satellite heart centres with the one in Bintulu already operational, while those in Miri and Sibu are being developed,” he explained.

Dr Sim noted that while construction funding is manageable, the real challenge lies in manpower, not only the need for cardiologists, but also interventional specialists and trained nurses.

He added that each mini satellite centre costs around RM3 million to RM5 million annually to operate, while the Sarawak Heart Centre requires about RM130 million per year, funded by the federal government.

Therefore, Dr Sim emphasised that Sarawak hopes the federal government will continue to fund healthcare facilities in the state while implementing the medical autonomy provided under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). This would allow Sarawak to manage its own medical facilities, manpower, and finances.

“What we want is not a different standard, but the same level of funding with Sarawak managing the healthcare of Sarawakians, instead of being controlled from Kuala Lumpur,” he said.