New addition to Miri Hospital begins operations

MIRI: The long-awaited RM289.2 million expansion of Miri Hospital has been completed.

The construction, overseen by the Public Works Department, began in 2020 and was executed by Riaplus Sdn Bhd.

Utilising the Industrialised Building System (IBS) allowed for an earlier-than-scheduled completion.

Deputy Minister of Health, Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni, announced that the Ministry of Health (MoH) has approved 1,719 new posts to support the services at the new building, which begins operations on Tuesday (July 2).

The hospital will gradually fill its facilities from July to December this year, with full operational capability expected by January 2026, he said.

Exciting day as Lukanisman (left) and Nanta (right) take their first tour of the newly completed Miri hospital block.

“We will take the time from July to December to fill up the building; by January 2026 all wards will be functional,” said Lukanisman during the handover ceremony of the new block to the Sarawak Health Department on Monday.

The new eight-storey building, now known as Block B, adds 328 beds to the hospital, increasing its total capacity to 677 beds.

It also offers a more spacious Emergency Unit compared to the existing one.

Block B includes the Emergency and Trauma Department, the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, and the Paediatric Department, providing first-class health services.

Additionally, it features parking for 900 cars and 300 motorcycles.

“With the completion of this project, the Miri Hospital is better equipped to provide comprehensive and high-quality healthcare services to the community,” said Lukanisman.

Also present at the handover were Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Public Works Director General Roslan Ismail, State Health Director Dr Veronica Lugah, and Miri Hospital Director Dr Jack Wong.