Dr Sim says cost of proposed Sarawak Cancer Centre includes building’s construction, top-notch equipment and facilities

Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian

KUCHING (April 17): Deputy Premier of Sarawak Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian has called out certain quarters over their criticism about the RM1 billion cost for the proposed Sarawak Cancer Centre being too high.

According to him, the cost estimate does not only cover the construction of the building, but also takes into account other complementing equipment and facilities.

“These politicians basically do not know the real cost of a cancer centre – (it is) the bulk of the equipment for cancer research that is very expensive, not only the building.

“Take the patient’s bed as example: a cancer patient needs a special bed, not the typical hospital bed. We in Sarawak do not want to have second-grade equipment – why should we?

“West Malaysia can get first-class, but we get second class? No, we must have first-class cancer centre,” he told reporters after officiating at the ‘Semarak Aidilfitri’ programme at Kampung Sinar Budi Baru in Batu Kawah here yesterday.

The event was run by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas).

Adding on, Dr Sim said the cancer centre had been proposed to be constructed within the 50-acre vicinity of the Sarawak Heart Centre in Kota Samarahan.

“There will also be other facilities, one of which will be the Infectious Disease Centre that would only need (an area covering) about 10 acres.

“Unimas’ (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) medical faculty will also be built nearby, followed by the Medical R&D (Research and Development) Centre. Collectively, all these facilities will be called the ‘Sarawak Health Metropolis’.

“The Sarawak Heart Centre area is the only place that has the land big enough for us expand within the vicinity. Probably looking at 50 years to come, there would be many common facilities that we can build there,” he elaborated.

Dr Sim, who is Batu Kawah assemblyman, also said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin would speak to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob about the Sarawak Cancer Centre proposal.

“Yang Berhormat KJ (Khairy) has promised me this. KJ had told the Dewan Rakyat about this in November last year, that the Ministry of Health (MoH) was studying a proposal to set up a cancer centre in Samarahan.

“For now, it (proposal) is with the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) under the Prime Minister’s Department for consideration.”

In this regard, Dr Sim said Sarawak did offer to bear the project cost first, adding that details of the payment model had been discussed with Khairy.

“The state government has sent its proposal on the payment model – either the state government bears the expenses first and bill the federal government later; or the federal government comes up with the grant for the project.

“Definitely, these details involve the Federal Cabinet papers.

“It’s up to KJ to finalise everything – we still need the Federal Cabinet’s approval first. I cannot comment too much, not until we come to an agreement,” he said, while also hoping for the Sarawak Cancer Centre project to be approved this year.

He remarked: “We told them (federal government, through the MoH) that we would want the approval (to be granted) this year so that we could get the works started; at least we could appoint a consultant.

“We hope the good news would come very soon.”

from Borneo Post Online https://bit.ly/3MfaPdg
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