Ministry finalising purchase of Sabah Medical Centre

NST: KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government, through the health ministry, is finalising the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) for the private hospital, Sabah Medical Centre (SMC).
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said yesterday the cabinet had approved RM280 million for the purchase and the renovation and refurbishment works to create more beds were expected to cost around RM90 million.
"The renovation works are expected to be done within six months from the date of signing of the SPA.
"After the renovation, 455 beds will be made available and at the same time, there will be more operating theatres to reduce the backlog of elective surgical cases after the main tower block of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) was declared unsafe," he said after visiting the SMC building here.
He said that tower block in QEH housed 589 beds and even after the closure of the block, the number of beds still remained at 502 beds, but the numbers were distributed among various hospitals around Kota Kinabalu.
"The purchase of SMC also marks another milestone for the medical services in Sabah, as cardiology and cardiothoracic services in this state will be in operation almost immediately without having to wait for another three to four years for a heart centre to be built.
"Sabah will be the fifth regional heart centre under the ministry, and heart patients in Sabah don't have to travel all the way to West Malaysia or Kuching for cardiothoracic services," he added.
In the meantime, he said the building of the twin towers at the QEH would proceed as planned under the Ninth Malaysia Plan while another new hospital would be built under the 10th Malaysia Planto cater to medical needs in the state.
On the QEH main tower block, he said that after inspection by engineers, it was found to be more practical to demolish it rather than to maintain it due to the costs.
Liow also said that the announcement by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman that the Wisma Khidmat building would be turned into a private hospital, was not discussed by the ministry as it was a state matter.
Asked to comment about a suggestion that Sabah should revive its own state health ministry, Liow said: "It is up to the state government, but the federal government is willing to assist the people of Sabah."