KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry (MOH) does not rule out the possibility of relocating the Radiotherapy and Oncology Department of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) to the Sarawak Cancer Centre.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the move is in line with the government’s goal of ensuring that the new cancer centre can offer high-quality services to patients in Sarawak and Sabah.
“There’s a high likelihood of this happening because the cancer centre will become a comprehensive treatment hub.
“The construction of the Sarawak Cancer Centre aims to facilitate prompt treatment for cancer patients in Borneo,” he said in Dewan Negara today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Rita Sarimah Insol regarding whether oncology experts at SGH would be relocated to the new cancer centre.
Lukanisman added that the construction of the Sarawak Cancer Centre was crucial due to the high costs for cancer patients in these two states to seek treatment in the peninsula.
Regarding the provision of accommodation facilities like Anjung Kasih for the convenience of patients’ families at the cancer centre, Lukanisman noted that it needs to be proposed to the ministry responsible for the welfare of the people.
“We will raise this question to the minister overseeing public welfare to enable caregivers and visitors to reduce the costs of caring for patients receiving treatment at the centre,” he said.
