Sabah Heart Center needs modern equipment, sufficient staff

KOTA KINABALU (Aug 12): The Sabah Heart Center needs to be equipped with advanced facilities, including staff numbers, similar to those at the Sultan Idris Shah Serdang Heart Hospital.

Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib said that modern equipment and sufficient staff would make it easier for heart patients in the state to receive more effective treatment and reduce the risks to patients.

“Currently, Sabah is facing a shortage of facilities and staff, especially cardiologists, who can provide the best services to heart patients in the state. Therefore, it is hoped that the Ministry of Health Malaysia (KKM), especially the Federal Government, will expedite the allocation of funds to the Sabah Heart Centre to complete the medical facilities and increase staff so that heart patients can receive more effective treatment,” he said.

James who is also the State Health Exco said this during an official visit to the Sultan Idris Shah Serdang Heart Hospital in Selangor today.

He added that the State Government welcomed the Prime Minister’s recent announcement about the Sabah Heart Centre, and stressed that it should be built promptly as the cost of treatment for a heart patient is high when referred to heart specialists in Peninsular Malaysia.

At the same time, he also suggested that the Public Service Department review the job grades for specialist doctors serving in Sabah to align with the positions held, to prevent them from leaving the public service.

“In line with current health challenges, the job grades for specialist doctors in Sabah should also be reviewed. I am informed that the job grade for cardiologists in Sabah is still at UD 56, even though the workload is very heavy,” he emphasized.

During his visit to Sabah in April, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM80 million to upgrade the cardiology centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 (HQE2) and rebrand it as the Sabah Heart Center to meet the needs of heart treatment in the state.

During the visit to the Sultan Idris Shah Serdang Heart Hospital, James was also taken on a tour of several heart treatment rooms equipped with various advanced equipment, in addition to listening to briefings from several specialists at the hospital.

-Agency