Ling says investing in healthcare would provide meaningful and lasting value for the people.
The proposed RM1bil Sarawak Cancer Centre should be built in Sibu instead of Kuching, says Sibu MP Oscar Ling.
This is because the state capital now has four hospitals, two of which were still under construction, he added.
Ling said Kuching’s Sarawak General Hospital offered comprehensive cancer treatment, while the Borneo Medical Centre provided radiotherapy.
This made Kuching the only city in the state equipped with radiotherapy facilities, while the central and northern regions have none.
He said cancer patients in Sibu and the central region have long hoped for a fully equipped cancer treatment centre closer to home.
Ling said two new hospitals – Hospital Petra Jaya and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’s (Unimas) teaching hospital – were being built in Kuching, while the Sarawak General Hospital and Sarawak Heart Centre were already functional.
“Since Kuching already has the Sarawak Heart Centre, it would be more logical to establish the Sarawak Cancer Centre in Sibu,” Ling said in a statement.
He also welcomed Sarawak government’s plan to use its own funds to develop more specialised hospitals, offering affordable healthcare for locals while promoting medical tourism and positioning Sarawak as a regional healthcare hub.
Ling said while investment in high technology and green energy was important, these industries relied heavily on foreign technology transfer.
In contrast, Sarawak had many skilled medical professionals who only needed better facilities and working conditions to serve locally.
“If the state establishes semi-private hospitals, Sarawakians could enjoy affordable alternatives to government hospitals, while foreign patients could seek treatment here at competitive rates.”
He said investing in healthcare would provide more meaningful and lasting value for the people.
Ling proposed that if the state government insisted on building the cancer centre in Kuching, it should finance and own it as a semi-private hospital offering affordable cancer care.
He said the Federal Government’s RM1bil allocation could be redirected towards a new hospital block or a new hospital with a cancer treatment centre in Sibu to serve patients from the central and northern regions.
