KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's cardiology centre at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital is expected to begin upgrade works in September, says Datuk James Ratib.
The state Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister said the project is currently in the document preparation stage.
"We are preparing the Schedule of Accommodation (SOA) and Preliminaries Detailed Abstract (PDA) documents with the Malaysia Public Works Department," he said during the State Assembly question and answer session on Monday (April 14).
Ratib added that department officials conducted a site visit to HQE II on 22 and 23 January for site and work scope inspections.
"I understand that heart and cardiology issues are becoming more serious in Sabah, making the Prime Minister’s visit to the hospital and this project very important," he said.
The PDA is expected to be handed over to JKRM in May.
Earlier, Alis Sani (Sekong - Warisan) asked when the centre is expected to start work and be completed.
On April 20 last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the establishment of the Sabah Cardiology Centre - a dedicated block for cardiology cases - at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital.
He said three cardiologists would be transferred here, and an immediate allocation of RM80mil has been approved to start the project.
The new block will include upgrades to existing infrastructure such as the emergency unit, ward, daycare facilities, equipment and associated works.
The current cardiology and cardiothoracic department provides 107 beds, a specialist clinic, an invasive and non-invasive catheterisation laboratory and a cardiothoracic operation theatre.
There are 120 trained nurses, and the bed occupancy rate has reached 75% as of mid-2024.
