KOTA KINABALU: A 10-acre plot of land in Likas has been gazetted to build the Sabah National Heart Institute (IJN), said Sabah Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister, Datuk James Ratib.
Commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statement announcing that Queen Elizabeth 2 Hospital (QEH2) will be converted into IJN, he said Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has gazetted 10 acres of land to build the institute.
“Actually, the Chief Minister of Sabah has already gazetted a plot of land in Likas specifically to build this IJN building, this matter has been voiced in the cabinet meeting so that we have a site to build IJN, Sabah in Likas.
“We are looking at the suitability because this IJN must be close to the hospital, we have land behind QEH2 but now this land belongs to Qhazanah Sabah Bhd.
“So I understand, now we are negotiating with Qhazanah for the construction of the building,” he added.
James, who is also Sugut Assemblyman, said this at a press conference at the Aidilfitri Celebration Ceremony, Ministry of Community Development and Sabah People’s Well-being here, on Monday.
He added that Sabah also needs additional specialist doctors to meet the needs of the National Heart Center which will be upgraded at QEH2.
He said the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim regarding the establishment of the National Heart Center in Sabah was good news for the people of Sabah, but additional specialist doctors were needed for this center.
“The Prime Minister has recently given good news to the people of Sabah, especially those with heart problems, with the Sabah Heart Center located at QEH2.
“Thus, this center will also add cardiologists from the Peninsula to serve at this Heart Center so at least it can ease the burden of the doctors who are on duty at this heart center,” he said.
James said that in Sabah there are also cardiologists but not enough.
“Actually, we already have cardiologists in Sabah but they are not enough, the chief specialist is assisted by other specialists and it can be said that we only have five specialists here but different specialists, among them an anesthesiologist and two pediatric specialists and one heart specialist and a surgical specialist,” he explained.
He added that this Heart Center will also ease the burden of Sabahans who have heart problems because they no longer need to be sent to Kuala Lumpur for further treatment.
Previously, the Prime Minister when speaking at the MADANI 2024 Aidilfitri Celebration Ceremony at the National Level recently said that the National Heart Center in Sabah will become the second largest heart treatment center in Malaysia after the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
In the same announcement, Anwar also said that a total of three specialists and 120 trained support personnel will be added in addition to the three specialist doctors and 120 trained nurses already at HQE2.
