By Natasha Jee and Alexandra Lorna
KUCHING: The Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre will bring all researchers together regardless of where they are from, said Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian.
“Doesn’t matter if the researcher is someone who is state government-funded, Ministry of Health (MOH)-funded or Ministry of Higher Education-funded. All the researchers work for science,” he said.
Dr Sim said this yesterday during a press conference after the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing between Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) & Novartis Malaysia at SGH here.
Earlier, he said that researchers would come from many areas, including universities, MOH and the Sarawak government.
“In the past, clinical research was the domain of universities. That is why you did not hear of MOH holding the research.
“But in the early 2000, MOH had so much to offer and got so much resources for doing research. Therefore, the centre will bring all researchers together. It does not matter where they come from,” he said.
The centre set up by the Sarawak government will catalyse the development of biomedical industry in the state.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said that the new research centre would pave the way to research excellence in Sarawak, leading to a vibrant bio-economy capitalising on the diverse cultures and natural resources.
