Health services upgrade to facilitate heart, cancer patients in Kedah

JITRA: The construction of the cancer centre in Sungai Petani and the upgrading of cardiology and cardiothoracic services at the Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) in Alor Star will reduce the number of patients to be referred to hospitals in other states for further treatment.
Kedah Health director Datuk Dr Norhizan Ismail said currently many heart and cancer patients had to be referred for further treatment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur and Penang Hospital that it caused a financial burden on the patients and family members in terms of extra transportation costs.
"Efforts to upgrade the cardiology centre at HSB and to build the cancer centre in Sungai Petani will provide a great medical facility to the Kedahans... and it will also provide facilities for residents in neighbouring Perak and Perlis to obtain the services," he said to reporters at the HSB Organ Donation Drive and Anaesthesia Day here today.
Also present was Environment, Chinese, Indian and Siamese Community Affairs, Health and Unity Committee chairman Datuk Dr Leong Yong Kong.
During the tabling of 2018 Budget by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak on Oct 27, he announced the construction of the cancer centre as well as the upgrading of cardiology and cardiothoracic services at HSB to enable Kedah to become a health hub in the northern part of the country.
Dr Norhizan said the cancer centre would be built on a 24-hectare land in Aman Jaya, Sungai Petani, costing RM500 million and expected to be completed by 2022 and another RM20 million allocation for upgrading cardiology and cardiothoracic services at HSB.
"The cancer centre will be located approximately seven kilometres from the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital, Sungai Petani. The 2018 budget has been approved and the construction work will begin, and the ministry agreed the construction work of the centre will be carried out in phases," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Leong said the big project announced by the prime minister showed that the Kedahans have always been in Najib's heart especially in terms of health and medical facilities. — Bernama