Sibu Hospital installs latest cardiac MRI machine, second in Sarawak

SIBU (Feb 2): Sibu Hospital has become the second hospital in Sarawak to be equipped with a specialised cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine following the installation of a latest-generation unit, said Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.

The Deputy Premier said the unit was funded through a collaboration between the Sarawak Heart Foundation (SHF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH).

“The advanced cardiac MRI system, supplied by Philips, was initially part of an upgrade programme for the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) and Sarawak Heart Centre but was later allocated to Sibu after renovation works caused delays.

“The SHF stepped forward to contribute RM2.5 million to upgrade the technology. Due to the delay in preparing the room, Philips offered us their latest model, which is a higher-level MRI specifically for cardiac imaging,” he told reporters during his visit to Sibu Hospital on Monday.

The Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister explained that additional renovation works costing more than RM1 million were required to house the machine, as cardiac MRI systems require specialised facilities to operate continuously.

He noted that the trustees decided to place the machine in Sibu in recognition of the strong support from the local business community, which has consistently contributed to the SHF over the years.

“Without the foundation’s support, Sibu Hospital would not have been able to obtain this facility so quickly.

“If we waited for the usual federal allocation queue, it might never come,” he said.

He added that the cardiac MRI plays a crucial role in determining heart muscle viability, which helps doctors assess whether procedures such as bypass surgery or angioplasty would be beneficial for patients.

“One important function is to determine whether the heart muscle is still alive. If the muscle has died, performing procedures such as ballooning or bypass surgery may not help.

“This technology allows doctors to make better clinical decisions,” he explained.

Dr Sim also revealed that MOH is in the process of tendering cardiac catheterisation laboratories (cath labs) for selected hospitals including Sibu and Miri, as well as two other hospitals in Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.

“These facilities will allow angiograms and angioplasty procedures to be done locally, reducing the need for patients to travel to Kuching and easing the workload at the Sarawak Heart Centre,” he said, adding that construction is expected to take at least a year once the tender process is completed.

With the addition of the cardiac MRI and the planned cath lab, he said Sibu is poised to become one of the most well-equipped satellite cardiac centres in Sarawak.

He also highlighted recent upgrades at Bintulu Hospital, where SHF spent more than RM2 million to enhance angiography equipment to enable cardiac procedures.

“As a result, cardiologists from the Sarawak Heart Centre now fly to Bintulu every month to handle non-urgent cases, and urgent cases can also be treated locally, reducing the need for patients to travel to Kuching,” he said.

Dr Sim further noted that Sarawak currently has two cardiac MRI machines out of only about eight to ten such systems nationwide supplied by major manufacturers such as Philips and Siemens.

“Out of the four or five Philips cardiac MRI machines in Malaysia, two are in Sarawak.

“This shows that although Sarawak still lags behind in some areas, we are also leading in others because of proactive initiatives and strong public-private cooperation,” he said.

He said the cardiac MRI machine installed at Sibu Hospital is valued at between RM8 million and RM9 million but was acquired at approximately RM2.6 million due to an earlier exchange programme arrangement with the supplier.

“This is the result of early planning, foundation support and cooperation between the state and federal agencies.

“Ultimately, our goal is to ensure Sarawakians have better access to quality healthcare,” he added.

Joining the visit were SHF Board of Trustees Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu, Dato Anne Teng and Pauline Kon.

Also present were Sibu Hospital deputy director Dr Rachel Teng, Sibu Municipal Council chairman Clarence Ting, Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng and Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth chief Cr Kevin Lau.