Trained cardiac nurses ready for the new heart centre

KOTA KINABALU – Nurses who have undergone specialized cardiac training in Kuching and Johor Bahru are forming part of the support staff to the doctors at the Sabah Heart Centre in Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 (QEH2, formerly Sabah Medical Centre) . The new heart centre, which is purported to be comparable to that in Penang is expected to be in full operation by October this year, although patients have already been admitted as early as April. Currently, a minimal number of medical staff run the Centre.

The Centre , which contains two invasive catheter labs, two heart operating theatres, a 10-bed cardio-thoracic intensive care unit, 10-bed coronary care unit and a cardiac ward, is going to benefit local patients who otherwise would be traveling to the National Heart Institute ( Institut Jantung Negara) in Kuala Lumpur for diagnosis and treatment. Sabah’s cardiac incidence had been estimated at 6,000 patients per year and increasing.

The proximity of the hospital means savings in transport and accommodation costs for family members and relatives who would be accompanying patients during their treatment. Moreover, the accessibility to modern cardiac facilities, adequately trained medical staff, and expertise backed by the Cardiology programme of the Health Ministry serves the Government’s aim to render the best health care service to the public.

Sabah Health Director Dr Mohd Yusof Ibrahim confirmed that they are intent to keeping their operation target date. “It would be in full swing when the doctors and the rest of the supporting nurses return from training in Johor Bahru and Sarawak,” he said. He also added that the State’s Cardiac Surgeon is already on duty at the Centre.


Related Source: The Borneo Post