Sibu Hospital Neurosurgery Now Serves Over One Million People In Central Sarawak

SIBU, July 4 (Bernama) -- The Neurosurgery Department of Sibu Hospital has evolved into a leading regional referral centre providing specialist neurosurgical services to more than one million people across central Sarawak area from the Bintulu to the Betong Division.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib said the department had through determination, innovation and perseverance, successfully brought specialist neurosurgical care closer to communities in the region.

“The department also conducts visiting specialist clinics in Mukah, Bintulu, Sarikei and Kapit, reducing patients' financial, logistical and time burdens while improving compliance with follow-up treatment,” she said when officiating the Transforming Brain Injury Conference 6.0 (TBI 6.0) here, today.

Hanifah Hajar commended the department, led by Dr Nelson Yap Kok Bing, for its outstanding contribution to healthcare delivery in central Sarawak, adding that the department had saved more than RM50 million by reducing the need for costly medical evacuation transfers to Kuching since 2013.

“The achievements of Sibu Neurosurgery demonstrate what can be accomplished through vision, commitment and strong leadership. It is a model of rural specialist healthcare development that deserves national recognition,” she said.

Hanifah Hajar said the Health Ministry would continue collaborating with the Sarawak government, healthcare institutions, universities and professional bodies to strengthen specialist services, enhance healthcare infrastructure and develop local expertise.

She said sustainable healthcare transformation depended not only on infrastructure and equipment but also on continued investment in doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, researchers and future healthcare leaders.

-- BERNAMA