LANGKAWI: Repairs will start next month to address damages or defects at the surgery complex at the Sultan Idris Shah Hospital (HSIS) Heart Centre in Serdang, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Health Minister said that assurance had been given by the project contractor after a meeting with the Selangor Health Department (JKN) and the Public Works Department (JKR) recently.
"We want to ensure that they meet the deadline. The new building with four non-functioning operating theatres is severely affecting the delivery services of the Heart Centre," he told a press conference here on Monday (May 20).
Earlier, Dzulkefly and Minister of Works Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi accompanied the Sultan of Kedah, Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, and the Sultanah of Kedah, Sultanah Maliha Tengku Ariff, to visit the construction site for the Sultanah Maliha Hospital additional building project here.
The minister was commenting on the report frontpaged by The Star on May 14 about the maintenance issues at the cardiac facility in Serdang Hospital, which had caused its four operating theatres to be non-functional and resulted in over 1,000 patients on the waiting list. Opened in December 2022, the heart centre is one of Malaysia’s primary cardiology centres, receiving referrals from all over the nation.
Previously, the Selangor Health Department confirmed technical issues facing the Heart Surgery Complex at HSIS, including electrical supply and high humidity levels.
However, Dzulkefly said the situation would not disrupt emergency cases as arrangements will be made to refer patients to other facilities such as the National Heart Institute (IJN).
Meanwhile, he said the additional building construction project for Sultanah Maliha Hospital, which commenced on January 20, 2022, was ahead of schedule by 15 days, reaching 22.5% progress.
The project, scheduled to be completed by Dec 26 next year, involved a contract cost of RM425mil to increase the number of specialised services and reduce the dependency and referrals of patients to Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital, Alor Setar, and other hospitals.
"This additional building also increases the number of additional beds by twice the amount, from 110 to 330 beds, to accommodate the growing population of Langkawi and the increasing number of tourists," he said.
Dzulkefly added that the ministry would ensure that the comprehensive facility was also supported by adequate human resources and the latest digital technology.
"The Ministry of Health will continue to enhance the image of the facility and its hospital services, further leveraging the high presence of tourists in Langkawi to promote high-potential health tourism at Sultanah Maliha Hospital," he said. - Bernama
