HOSPITALS & MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS | General Thread

[rizalhakim]

Government buying private hospital for RM245mil
By MUGUNTAN VANAR


KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government is buying over the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) for RM245mil as an immediate measure to overcome the critical shortage of hospital beds here.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the Government was in the final stages of taking over the SMC.

“We are committed to providing the best available healthcare for Sabahans,” he said at a meet-the-people gathering at the historic Padang Merdeka in his first visit as Prime Minister to the state.

Dismissing talks that the acquisition would cost the Government nearly RM450mil, he said they would fast-track the SMC takeover, adding that the Government was aware of the urgency to see to the people’s health needs following the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) main tower block.

The tower block was declared structurally unsafe late last year.

The Government would refurbish the recently-completed SMC located in suburban Damai, 2km from downtown here, Najib said.

Later, Najib said the refurbishment cost depended on the requirements set by the Health Mi**nistry, adding that SMC would temporarily rent two floors from the Govern*ment during the purchase process.

Previously the Government had acquired the first SMC building in Likas and converted it into a women and children’s hospital, now known as the Likas Hospital.

Najib said RM500mil of the special RM1bil allocation pledged to Sabah had already been delivered for various development projects.

The Prime Minister, in his speech, reminded Sabah Barisan Nasional leaders that they were servants of the people.

He said leaders should see for themselves the everyday situations faced by the ordinary folk so that they could solve problems faced by them.

“As elected representatives, there is no need to wait for invitation, bunga manggar, red carpets or TV cameras. We need to work for the people.

“I don’t want leaders who are feared. I want leaders who are appreciated and respected,” he said.

He reiterated that Sabah, with its more than 40 ethnic groups, best reflected the 1Malaysia concept.

Opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) welcomed the Govern*ment’s move to buy over the hospital as it would help overcome the current problems with healthcare services.

SAPP Wanita chief Melanie Chia said that while the announcement was good news, the purchase was only an interim solution.

“Sabah still needs a new general hospital apart from the construction of a twin tower to replace the main tower block of the QEH,” Chia said.

[nazrey]

400 extra beds after takeover of Sabah hospital
NST Online » Local News
2009/05/05

KOTA KINABALU: Another 400 beds for patients will be made available once the government completes a deal to buy the Sabah Medical Centre, a private hospital, here soon.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday announced the approval to buy the SMC in Luyang for RM245 million, as the government continued with its plan to build a new hospital in Kinarut.

Najib made the announcement at a meet-the-people session at Padang Merdeka.

"The purchase will be made as soon as possible."

Najib said the medical centre needed some renovation work but believed it will not be too costly because the SMC also planned to rent two floors from the government.

Queen Elizabeth Hospital's main tower block was deemed unsafe for occupation last October when the concrete building, built using sea sand in the late 1970s, began to show cracks.

The block housed 250 beds, eight surgery rooms, an intensive care ward, radiology services unit, a pharmacy and forensics unit, among others.

Other units within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital grounds remain operational but the closure has created a major void in its services, to a point where patients had to be transferred to hospitals at nearby districts.

There are at least 2,000 employees based at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital complex, including 400 doctors. It is also the main referral centre for all district hospitals in Sabah, as well as Labuan, and Lawas and Limbang in Sarawak.

[rizalhakim]

Langkawi gets its sea ambulance


LANGKAWI: The much-awaited sea ambulance has finally arrived in Lang*kawi.

The sea ambulance is a ferry which has been equipped with the latest medical equipment. It also has a room for patients and a medical team to accompany them during the journey.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the ferry would be used to send patients to the mainland for treatment and for sea rescue.


Emergency ship: Liow, Ong and Dr Mahathir viewing the sickbay of the sea ambulance ‘Suhail’ at Perdana Quay in Langkawi yesterday. With them are (from left) the director-general of the marine Department Datuk Kapt. Ahmad Othman, Hospital Langkawi director Dr Selahudden Abdul Aziz and Langkawi MP Datuk Abu Bakar Taib.

“The people in Langkawi had been asking for such an ambulance and now the Government has fulfilled its promise to provide one.

“Patients from Langkawi previously were transferred using the normal ferry or a chartered ferry,” he told re**porters after jointly launching the sea ambulance with Transport Minister Da****tuk Seri Ong Tee Keat at the Telaga Harbour Park here yesterday.

Liow said the ministry spent about RM500,000 last year to charter ferries to send patients with chronic illnesses to the mainland, adding that with this sea ambulance, the ministry was able to reduce costs and dependency on such ferries.

“In 2007 and 2008, 154 and 142 pa**tients respectively were sent to mainland hospitals using these ferries.”

During the same press conference, Ong said that the sea ambulance in Langkawi was among seven approved under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“The other six sea ambulances were placed in Port Klang, Mersing, Pulau Tio**man, Pulau Pangkor, Kuala Tereng*ganu and Labuan. The ambulances cost RM56mil.”

On another note, Liow said that the Government would beef up its preven*tive measures to prevent the spread of influenza A (H1N1) to the country.

“I will be attending a conference with my counterparts from Asean to discuss ways that we could work together to prevent the virus from entering our countries. So far, the A (H1N1) has not not hit any South-East Asian countries.”

[rizalhakim]

KPJ Healthcare cadang bina hospital baru

JOHOR BAHRU 8 Mei - KPJ Healthcare Bhd., bercadang membina sebuah hospital baru bernilai lebih RM1 juta di Bandar Dato' Onn, di sini bagi menyediakan rawatan terbaik kepada rakyat.

Ketua Eksekutif Johor Corporation (JCorp), Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim (gambar) berkata, hospital moden dengan kemudahan dan peralatan canggih berkenaan akan dilengkapi antara 250 hingga 300 katil apabila siap kelak.

"Pada waktu ini, syarikat sedang dalam proses berbincang dengan syarikat, Johor Land Bhd. (JLand) bagi tujuan berkenaan," katanya pada sidang akhbar mengumumkan prestasi kewangan JCorp di sini semalam.

Turut hadir Pengarah Urusan KPJ Healthcare Berhad, Datin Paduka Siti Sa'diah Sheikh Bakir.

KPJ Healthcare merupakan sebuah syarikat di bawah Kumpulan JCorp yang menceburi perniagaan perubatan dan kini mengendalikan sebanyak 19 hospital di seluruh negara.

Muhammad Ali memberitahu, penubuhan hospital berkenaan juga perlu mendapat kelulusan kerajaan terlebih dahulu sebelum dilaksanakan.

Sementara itu, beliau berkata, pencapaian KPJ Healthcare terus memberangsangkan apabila meraih keuntungan sebelum cukai melebihi RM1 bilion selama dua tahun berturut-turut.

Beliau berkata, kegawatan ekonomi global yang turut dirasai negara tidak menjejaskan prestasi syarikat termasuk jumlah pesakit dan orang ramai yang menerima rawatan di hospital-hospital di bawah KPJ Healthcare.

"Secara keseluruhan, hospital-hospital mencatatkan pertambahan jumlah pesakit dari dalam dan luar negara sebanyak lima peratus pada suku tahun pertama tahun ini," katanya.

Menurutnya, pesakit antarabangsa kebanyakannya dari Indonesia, Korea Selatan, Jepun, Somalia dan Singapura.

Dalam pada itu, beliau berkata, JCorp melalui Waqaf An-Nur Corporation Berhad menubuhkan Briged Waqaf sebagai sebuah pasukan bantuan bencana dan kebajikan.

Muhammad Ali berkata, pasukan berkenaan yang dianggotai syarikat-syarikat di bawah JCorp memberi perkhidmatan mencari, menyelamat dan sukarelawan kepada masyarakat.

"Antaranya, pasukan itu telah siap membina sebuah rumah warga tua di Kampung Sungai Redan, Ulu Tiram pada 15 Disember lalu," jelasnya.

[nazrey]

Sabah Govt to start new private hospital
Saturday May 16, 2009

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Government is getting back into the healthcare business by establishing a private medical centre at the now disused Wisma Khidmat office block and supermarket here.

The RM100mil medical centre would be set up by a subsidiary of the state-owned Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC) Bhd, Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said.

“We feel that a private hospital is viable as the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) is being acquired to become a public health facility,” he said after attending a briefing at the SCC office at Donggongon in Penampang yesterday.

The state government had set up the first SMC in Likas in the 1980s, which was subsequently privatised about 10 years later. The Federal Government later acquired it and the facility became the Likas Hospital for women and children.

The second SMC was built in Luyang. It will also be acquired by the Federal Government to overcome the bed shortage situation in Kota Kinabalu caused by the closure of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital tower block.

Meanwhile, Musa said he was pleased with the performance of the SCC which recorded a profit of RM37.8mil last year, a RM10mil increase compared to 2007.

“This reflects the efficient management of the SCC and it is an example for other state-owned statutory agencies to follow,” he said, noting that the SCC had recently retained its AA1 status by the Rating Agency of Malaysia.

The SCC, among others, provides loans for agriculture, light industries and property development projects.

In his briefing earlier, SCC general manager Datuk Vincent Pung said SCC had been operating profitably since 1997.

“We have evolved from being an agency dependent on the government to one that is helping to support the government,” he said.

[rizalhakim]

Sime Darby plans 3rd hospital by 2012
By Zaidi Isham IsmailPublished: 2009/05/20



The new 300-bed hospital in Desa Park City near Bukit Menjalara Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, is expected to start operations by 2012

MALAYSIA'S largest conglomerate, Sime Darby Bhd (4197), is expected to open its third full-fledged hospital in Desa Park City near Bukit Menjalara Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, by 2012 to ride on the recession proof medical industry.

Sime Darby Healthcare chief executive officer Elaine Cheong Pek Yim said the group is in the midst of planning for the new 300-bed hospital, and a ground-breaking ceremony will be held by year-end to mark the start of construction works.

"The hospital, called Sime Darby Medical Desa Park City, will be built on a design, build and lease concept and is expected to start operations by 2012," Cheong told reporters in Selangor yesterday after forging a partnership with Medilink Network (PVT) Ltd of Bangladesh and Medilink (Beijing) TPA Services Co Ltd.

Cheong declined to reveal investment cost, but a Business Times report in 2006 estimated at the time that the cost of building the hospital, which also includes a supermarket, would be about RM350 million.
She added that the new hospital is designed by the Sime Darby group and built by Desa Park City developer, Perdana Park City Sdn Bhd, who will then hand it over to Sime Darby upon completion.

Perdana ParkCity is a member of Miri-based Samling Group.

"The hospital will offer tertiary care and it will be a growing business within the Sime Darby group in the future," said Cheong.

The Sime Darby group owns and operate the 393-bed Sime Darby Medical Centre (previously known as Subang Jaya Medical Centre) and the Sime Darby Speacialist Centre Megah in Petaling Jaya. It also owns and operate the Sime Darby Nursing Health and Sciences College managed by its healthcare arm Sime Darby Healthcare Sdn Bhd.

Sources said the hospital could even be bigger than the Sime Darby Medical Centre in Subang Jaya as it will cater to a larger affluent group at nearby densely-populated areas such as Kota Damansara, Damansara Perdana, Bandar Sri Damansara, and Mutiara Damansara.

The hospial will also be within 5km of Bandar Utama, Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Sri Hartamas, Mont' Kiara, Bukit Damansara and the upscale neighbourhood of Petaling Jaya.

Taking into account the population within the Desa Parkcity township, the population in the area has a total disposable income of some RM550 million a month.

In a previous interview, Perdana ParkCity said it was prepared to offer 2.03ha of land to operate a private hospital in the township. The Damansara Specialist Centre, operated by KPJ Healthcare Bhd, is the only other large private hospital in the area.

Sime Darby Healthcare, which has a presence in Indonesia, Vietnam, the UK and the US, is part of conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd which has businesses in over 20 countries ranging from motor, industrial, property and plantations.

Analysts said the new hospital is part of Sime Darby's long-term plan to grow its healthcare business which, together with general trading and other business, account for about 10 per cent of revenue compared with plantations (8.2 per cent), property (3.6 per cent), heavy equipment (33.3 per cent), motor vehicles (34.1 per cent) and energy and utilities (9.6 per cent).

[rizalhakim]

Sime healthcare arm inks deal to promote medical tourism
Published: 2009/05/20





SIME Darby Healthcare Sdn Bhd, the healthcare arm of Sime Darby Bhd (4197), has teamed up with Medilink Network (PVT) Ltd of Bangladesh and Medilink (Beijing) TPA Services Co Ltd to promote medical travel from Bangladesh and China to Malaysia.

Sime Darby Healthcare chief executive officer Elaine Cheong Pek Yim said the partnership is part of the conglomerate's effort to garner a slice of Malaysia's medical tourism market worth RM540 million by next year.

"With these partnerships, Sime Darby Healthcare would be able to tap into Bangladesh and China's healthcare system and, at the same time, offer medical travellers from these two countries the benefits of our medical expertise," Cheong told reporters in Selangor yesterday.

Medilink (Beijing) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medilink-Global (Asia) Pte Ltd, while Medilink Network is its business associate in Bangladesh.
Medilink-Global is wholly owned by UK-based Medilink-Global UK Ltd.

The group acts as a third- party medical facilitator and provides services such as medical transcription, online healthcare records, global health insurance as well as healthcare tourism products for its over two million members.

Under their memorandum of understanding, Sime Darby Healthcare will promote, sell and market its services in Bangladesh and China.

Medilink, on the other hand, will be able to enhance is healthcare services to its clients and provide efficient claims management, standardisation of healthcare information and create greater convenience for patients.

[nazrey]

SDH buka lagi hospital
19 Mei 2009

PETALING JAYA 19 Mei - Sime Darby Healthcare (SDH), anggota konglomerat Sime Darby Bhd. merancang membuka hospital kedua yang dilengkapkan dengan 300 katil di Desa ParkCity, Kepong dekat sini dalam usaha meluaskan operasinya.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Elaine Cheong berkata, perluasan operasi itu berikutan penjenamaan semula SDH daripada Subang Jaya Medical Centre.

Katanya, buat masa ini, pembukaan hospital yang dijangka siap pada awal 2012 masih dalam perancangan dan pembinaan dijadual bermula hujung tahun ini.

"Hospital yang dikenali sebagai Sime Darby Medical Centre Park City ini akan menawarkan perkhidmatan penjagaan kesihatan berkualiti tinggi, sekunder dan berteknologi maju," katanya ketika ditemui di sini hari ini.

SDH memiliki sejumlah pusat kesihatan termasuk Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya, pusat pesakit luar dan pembedahan di Petaling Jaya, Sime Darby Specialist Centre Megah dan Kolej Kejururawatan dan Sains Kesihatan Sime Darby.

Menurut Cheong, hospital baru itu dibina mengikut konsep reka bentuk, bina dan pajakan (BDL).

"Kami mereka bentuk hospital dan merancangnya berdasarkan syarat-syarat dan keperluan manakala pemajunya iaitu Perdana ParkCity melaksanakan pembinaan dan seterusnya kami mengendalikannya," katanya.

Beliau bagaimanapun enggan mendedahkan kos perbelanjaannya.

"Masih terlalu awal untuk menyatakan kos yang terbabit tetapi kami akan mengadakan majlis pecah tanah sebelum kerja-kerja pembinaan bermula," jelasnya.

Ditanya sama ada SDH bercadang membuka beberapa hospital lagi di seluruh negara, beliau berkata, pihaknya sentiasa mencari peluang bukan sahaja di negara sendiri tetapi juga luar negara.

Sehingga kini, SDH beroperasi di Amerika Syarikat, United Kingdom, Indonesia dan Vietnam.

[rizalhakim]

RM200mil building to mark hospital’s centenary


KANGAR: The Tuanku Fauziah Hospital which celebrates its centenary this year will get a new eight-storey block costing RM200mil by the end of the year.

“The block will house wards, a delivery hall, operating hall, pharmacy and a royal ward,” Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said at a dinner to mark the 66th birthday of the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jama-lullail, in the state capital last night.

When completed, the block built on the present site would be the tallest hospital building, eclipsing the six-storey block built in 2004.

Liow said the hospital has undergone many changes since it was built as a dispensary in 1909 to become a modern hospital.

It is the only hospital in Perlis which has 30 specialists.

It is also used as a training centre for students taking medicine and related courses.

In his speech, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin said he was hopeful that the hospital would be equipped with more facilities to keep it abreast with technological advancements in the medical arena. — Bernama

[nazrey]

Overall SMC cost is RM370m
Published on: Saturday, May 30, 2009

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) is to be purchased for RM280 million with an additional RM90 million set aside for refurbishment and renovation, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said the Federal Cabinet had actually approved the figure and that his visit to Sabah, Friday, was "to correct the amount" quoted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak earlier this month.

Najib had said during his first official visit to Sabah as PM that the SMC is to be purchased for RM245m. The talk making the rounds earlier was that the sale price had been revised downwards from RM420m to RM380m but SMC denied there was truth in the speculation.

When the price was announced as RM245m, many felt that the price was reasonable going by the fact that the SMC had 200-plus beds.

"There was a little bit of mistake during the PM's visit. So, the PM has asked me to do the announcement," he said after visiting the private hospital in Luyang.

He said the purchase of the private hospital was timely and appropriate as a solution to the current crisis faced at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).

According to him, they are now at the final stage of completing the Sales and Purchase Agreement (S&P).

He said part of the additional RM90m would be to renovate the top two floors of the SMC to create more beds and wards. The renovation would be completed about six months after signing of the S&P.

Liow said after the renovation had been done, the hospital, which has yet to be named, would have 455 beds to accommodate patients. "The additional beds are to ensure that the people of Sabah continue to get quality medical care."

At this juncture, Liow, who is also MCA Vice-President, said prior to the decanting or transfer of patients from the QEH to other hospitals, the QEH had 589 beds.

"But even after the closure of the Tower Block, the number of beds at QEH remains at 502 but were distributed amongst the various hospitals."

He said the QEH provided for 364 beds while Hospital Likas, 28 beds, Hospital Mesra, 30 beds and SMC, 80 beds. Liow, nevertheless, stressed that the medical and surgical services at QEH have not stopped since the decanting.

On other developments, he said that there would be more operating theatres made available at the SMC to reduce the backlog of surgical elective cases since the decanting of the unsafe Tower Block of the QEH.

There are three operating theatres at the SMC now and another two would be built so that more surgeries could be performed at one time.

On parking space at the SMC, Liow said the Government is looking into all aspects including parking space. He said they have to look into other services as well so as to ensure all the problems would be tackled and solved.

[nazrey]

Cardiac Centre will materialise at once
Published on: Saturday, May 30, 2009

A CARDIAC centre in the State will become a reality soon as the Sales and Purchase Agreement (S&P) to buy the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) is signed.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow said they could use the existing Cathlab, operating theatres, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and wards at the SMC to commence cardiology and cardiothoracic services in Sabah.

"It would be in operation almost immediately without having to wait for another three to five years for a heart centre to be built.

"The purchase of the SMC is (certainly) another milestone for the medical services in Sabah," he said. When the cardiac centre is ready, Sabah will be the fifth regional heart centre in the country under the Ministry of Health.

Heart patients from here would no longer need to travel all the way to Peninsular Malaysia or Kuching for cardiothoracic services.

He said by using the available facilities at the SMC, they would be able to provide tertiary services that include coronary stenting, pacemaker, heart and lung surgery, coronary bypass and valve replacement.

Liow said they already have a dedicated heart centre team who have been trained since last year and ready to start the services before the end of this year.

"So, once we purchase the SMC, immediately we are going to have the heart centre in SMC after the renovation of the building and construction of (additional) operating theatre."

Presently, he said the Ministry is "buying" such services from the SMC or sending the patients to heart centres outside Sabah, which costs the Ministry about RM1.5 million every month.

He assured that the Ministry would provide all the necessary resources to ensure that the heart centre becomes a reality to benefit the people of Sabah.

Apart from the cardiology-cardiothoracic services, he said the SMC also has facilities for radiotherapy that would be made available to the patients immediately.

"This would save the Ministry about RM820,000 a month," he said.

In addition, Liow said other services such as radiology, especially CT Scan and MRI, and laboratory services would be provided directly to the patients instead of acquiring them from the private sector, which would save the Government about RM350,000 a month.

The sterilisation service unit at the QEH, he said, would also be made available at the SMC.

Also present were Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Edward Khoo and Director of State Health Department Dr Marzukhi Md Isa.

[nazrey]

Sabah Medical Centre (SMC)
Source: http://normaron.blogspot.com/2009/03...al-center.html

[nazrey]

Columbia Asia, Bintulu, Sarawak

Columbia Asia will be the first private healthcare facility in Bintulu

Currently there is no private healthcare center in Bintulu. However that might change soon with the opening up of Columbia Asia on the 1st quarter of 2009?. The center located at Tanjung Kidurong, Tan Sri Ikhwan road is the first private healthcare facility in Bintulu.

Columbia Asia - a relatively unknown private healthcare provider actually has several hospitals in west Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India. Bintulu the second town in Sarawak after Miri to have such facilities.

Columbia Asia was first established in South East Asia in 1995 and is rapidly expanding across South Asia. Columbia Asia Hospital situated in Bintulu will be fully equipped, multi disciplined facility offering quality inpatient and outpatient services. They are seeking dynamic individuals to join us at our new facility for the following positions.

[nazrey]

Non-profit hospital for Sandakan
Saturday June 28, 2008



Artist’s impression: A model of the new Fook Kuin
Medical Centre that will begin construction soon.

SANDAKAN: Sabahans, particularly those living here, can soon enjoy affordable private healthcare facilities and services when the new Fook Kuin Medical Centre at Jalan Utara is operational by January 2011.

The centre to be built on a 12ha site at a cost of RM105mil will be the first non-profit private hospital in east Malaysia.

Once completed it will have 276 beds including 10 day care beds and six ICU beds, 28 bassinets and 34 dialysis machines, 28 consultation suites and eight labour rooms, operation theatres and CT scanners.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai, who was represented by state Health Department director Dr Marzukhi Mohd Isa at the groundbreaking ceremony, said that his ministry received 49 applications throughout the country in the past two years for the establishment of private hospitals and two were from Sabah including Fook Kuin Medical Centre.

Since the implementation of the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 and its regulations in 2006, the Health Ministry has licensed 247 private healthcare facilities and hospitals in the country of which nine are located in Sabah, said Liow.

To date, 19 private hospitals had been accredited by the Malaysian Society of Quality in Health (MSQH) and 21 more were awaiting survey or the results of surveys, he said.

The minister noted that among the problems in the applications to establish new private hospitals were the tendency of applicants to use renovated shoplots and the failure to engage medical planners to design the private hospitals.

The Ministry also found that many applicants were unable to provide adequate nursing staff or skilled manpower in specific disciplines such as dialysis, critical care and anaesthesia.

“There are private hospitals that are not able to train their own nursing staff and resort to pinching them from other public and private hospitals,” he said.

Meanwhile, in her welcoming speech, Ramona Lai, Managing Director of LFK Group, which owns Fook Kuin Medical Centre, said it was the dream of her late father Datuk Lai Fook Kim, a timber tycoon, to build the hospital.

[rizalhakim]

image hosted on flickr


image hosted on flickr

[nazrey]

Hope to be build there in Putrajaya!

[nazrey]

First nursing university opens door
Sun, 07 Jun 2009



Its vice-chancellor (VC) and president Datuk Professor Dr Hashim Yaacob who is also the former VC (8th) of Universiti Malaya said, "For those of you seeking a career in nursing, IUCN is the place. We offer the best in nursing studies at the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate degree levels."

IUCN’s degree programmes are pending final approval from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE).

IUCN faculty members will be from Malaysia and elsewhere, including Australia, India, Canada, USA, Indonesia and China. IUCN is wholly-owned and managed by Run Education Sdn Bhd.

In the meantime, registration for IUCN’s pre-nursing foundation programme will be conducted from Feb 16 to 28. Post-SPM students can use their forecast results to apply. The minimum entry qualification is five SPM credits, including Bahasa Malaysia, and passes in English, and either Mathematics or Science.

Upon completing the foundation programme, students will continue with the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Hons) at IUCN. The degree programme is awaiting approval by the MOHE. Those waiting for STPM results can also join the foundation programme and transfer to the degree programme once the Ministry of Higher Education approves it, provided their STPM results meet degree entry requirements.

Other programmes in the pipeline are the Bachelor of Nursing Science (Hons) (a top-up programme for in-service nurses with a diploma or its equivalent), Master of Nursing Science by research, and Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing Science. These are also waiting for final approval from the MOHE. IUCN invites enquiries.

The IUCN route of "one-year foundation followed by four years of honours degree programme" is a new option for nurse-aspirants who want a degree and not just a diploma. The traditional route to nursing for SPM holders is via a diploma in nursing. However, a nursing degree affords greater learning, and more career flexibility.



An artist’s impression of IUCN’s campus
at Bandar Sri Sendayan.

The Malaysian government also wants to upgrade at least 10%-15% of diploma qualified nurses in Malaysia with top-up degrees. At present, only 2% of nurses in Malaysia have nursing degrees.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the ideal ratio between a nurse and patient is 1:200. However, in Malaysia, the ratio is 1:645. At least 130,000 nurses must be trained by year 2020 to meet the nation’s demand.

Aside from that, there is also a world shortage of nurses.

IUCN will contribute towards reducing these deficiencies locally and internationally by producing quality nurses with degrees, and upgrading the existing-diploma qualified nurses via its post registration programmes.

The Bandar Sri Sedayan campus targets 5,000 students when it opens next year.

It is a 25-minute drive from KL International Airport (KLIA) and 45-minute drive to Kuala Lumpur.

IUCN executive chairman Summugam Ramasamy said, "It is our mission to make Malaysia the nursing hub of the world. IUCN will be able to accommodate 20,000 students at any one time where focus will be on international students at a ratio of 60%, while local students will make up 40%."

Visit www.iucn.edu.my , email info@iucn.edu.my or call 03-7955 4444, 012-475 6455 (Adeline Lim) 012-473 6455 (Param), 012-471 6455 (Radha), 012-500 8454 (Suresh) or 017-594 2971 (Haryati).

[nazrey]

Originally Posted by nazrey

Nursing the world



An artist’s impression of the International University College
of Nursing’s main campus in Bandar Sri Sendayan, Seremban.

International University College of Nursing (IUCN)
Bandar Sri Sendayan, Seremban
http://www.iucn.edu.my/university/campus





Main Entrance to IUCN / Chancellery / Library & Nursing Skills Laboratories



R&D Incubator / Sports Complex / Student Services Centre



Halls of Residence (Student Hostels) / Academic Centre

[rizalhakim]

IJN to operate from new wing in July


KUALA LUMPUR: From July 1, the National Heart Institute (IJN) will operate from its new wing while its existing wing undergoes renovation.

Operations at the new wing will begin with the 24 outpatient clinics now in the existing wing, but IJN hopes to add general wards, a rehabilitation ward and a high dependency unit (renal) in the latter part of July. Once all expansion works are complete, IJN will have 438 beds.

“Five more cardio-thoracic centres are in the pipeline,” said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who was on a working visit to the IJN yesterday.

The institute would continue to open its doors to patients from all levels of society, he said.

IJN had to increase its capacity considering the large number of patients it dealt with and as the Government continued to improving cardiology services in the country, he added.

[rizalhakim]

Pembinaan Limbongan wins hospital block deal
Published: 2009/06/11





PEMBINAAN Limbongan Setia Bhd has clinched a RM188 million contract to design and build, construct, complete, equip, commission and maintain the women and child ward block of Seremban Hospital.

The 30-month project will be completed by end of 2011.

It is expected to contribute positively to its earnings and net assets in the financial years ending 2010, 2011 and 2012.