Construction of UMS Hospital on schedule

Kamaruddin Mudin

KOTA KINABALU, March 12 (Bernama) -- Universiti Malaysia Sabah Hospital (HUMS) project which is currently under development is making impressive progress as construction is on schedule, said UMS Vice-Chancellor Datuk Dr D. Kamarudin D. Mudin.

“The hospital’s construction work is running smoothly and there is no delay,” he told reporters when asked about the progress of the teaching hospital here, today.

The UMS hospital which will accommodate over 400 beds, 25 surgical halls, 12 maternity units and a host of other latest infrastructure facilities was launched in March last year at a cost of RM652 million and is expected to be completed by 2021.

Covering 110,853 square metres, the hospital will adopt a smart hospital concept in order to improve the quality of medical education and health services in Sabah. 

Meanwhile, Sabah Health and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk Stephen Wong Tien Fatt said smart technology systems including state-of-the-art medical equipments at HUMS would be expanded to government hospitals in Sabah to improve existing services to improve the health status of the population.

HUMS is also seen to potentially develop the medical tourism sector in Sabah through the provision of the best infrastructure and healthcare services, he said.

Wong said the construction of the smart hospital was also expected to be a platform for more medical experts in Sabah as specialist doctors are still lacking in the state, 

Earlier, Kamarudin and Wong attended the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between UMS and Sabah Health Department and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UMS and Health4U Solution Sdn Bhd.

Kamarudin represented UMS and the State health Department was represented by Health director Datuk Dr Christina Rundi, while Health4U Solution Sdn Bhd was represented by its chief executive officer Datuk Chevy Beh and the event was witnessed by Wong.

The MoA is a seven-year extension of the medical and post-graduate medical programmes, while five years for nursing diploma to undergo clinical training, and conduct research activities for post-graduate students for public health degree programmes and public health doctorate programmes.

As for  the MoU, Health4U Solutions Sdn Bhd designs and develops BookDoc, a mobile based platform that connects patients and healthcare providers, allowing patients to find nearest doctors and make appointments. 

-- BERNAMA