Sarawak International Medical Centre: Sarawak Hives It Off To Federal Government

A senior BN politician’s baby, SIMC was launched in 1998 amidst great fanfare, slated to be completed in 2001 and to be modeled after the world famous Mayo clinic. Originally budgeted to cost RM200 million, it is now said to have cost more than RM350-400 million, almost twice the original. For 166 beds, that would work out to more than RM2 million per bed, one of the most expensive in Asia. But then who is counting?

Forward 11 years to 2009, today the Borneo Post revealed that the federal government will take over the running of SIMC to solve the overcrowding woes at SGH. What a wow! This will shut up the critics for once and for all, and prove that SIMC is not a white elephant.

It is good that the government has acknowledged that there is a dire need for more hospital beds in Kuching. Batu Kawa and Petra Jaya have been identified as two areas urgently in need of general hospitals to serve the burgeoning population. We hope, now that SIMC has been taken over as a public hospital, Batu Kawa and Petra Jaya will not be sacrificed in the planning for more hospital beds. Given the location of SIMC and its comparatively smaller population, it is more appropriate for it to function as a medical centre for specialty care and subspecialty care, its original purpose as intended. And for the government to quickly plan its healthcare systems to best serve the population their healthcare needs, mindful of accessibility.

Some last words. SIMC once again reflects the poor leadership, inadequate planning and mismanagement of public funds. How much more do we have to put up with this unwisely misallocation of resources? The state government owes the people of Sarawak an explanation for this folly.

And on behalf of the ballooning population of Batu Kawa, part of which attributed to rural-urban migration, PKR rightfully demands to have a hospital built ASAP at Batu Kawa to serve the people’s needs with affordability.