MELBOURNE: Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian has paid tribute to the pioneers of Sarawak’s cardiac services during a recent visit here, where he reunited with senior medical specialists who played a key role in establishing cardiac care in the state.
During the visit, Dr Sim met Dr Prashant Joshi, former Chief of Cardiac Surgery at what was then Monash Medical Centre—now known as Victoria Heart Hospital—as well as Dr Vashali, a cardiac anaesthesiologist, and their children who are currently practising medicine in Melbourne.
Dr Sim recalled that he was a medical student at Alfred Hospital, a Monash University teaching hospital, from 1988 to 1990, before serving there between 1991 and 1994 as a houseman, medical officer and intensive care unit registrar.
He said Dr Joshi was instrumental in the early development of cardiac surgery services at Sarawak General Hospital, having led the programme for almost the entire of its first decade.
“An estimated 4,000 to 5,000 Sarawakians benefited directly from cardiac surgeries performed under his leadership. Dr Vashali complemented this effort as the cardiac anaesthesiologist assisting in these complex procedures, making them a strong husband-and-wife team,” Dr Sim said, describing their contribution as pivotal to the success of the programme.
Dr Sim added that both he and Dr Joshi were fellows at Monash Medical Centre between 1995 and 1997—Dr Sim in cardiology and Dr Joshi in cardiothoracic surgery—sharing a common vision that eventually led them to return to Malaysia.
Preparations for the establishment of cardiac services in Sarawak began with training programmes for Sarawakian nurses and paramedics in Penang between 1999 and 2000, before services officially commenced at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) in 2001.
During the Melbourne meeting, Dr Sim extended an invitation to Dr Joshi and Dr Vashali to return to Kuching to take part in the 25th anniversary celebration of Sarawak’s cardiac services in June 2026.
The services, which include cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac anaesthesiology, were later relocated and consolidated under the Sarawak Heart Centre (SHC).
“The upcoming anniversary would also serve as a reunion for medical specialists, as well as pioneering nursing and paramedical staff who have contributed to the programme over the past 25 years,” he said.
Dr Sim noted that during a state dinner hosted by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg at the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) to mark the 20th anniversary of the cardiac services, it was revealed that more than 200,000 Sarawakians had benefited from the programme.
He expressed gratitude to all doctors, nurses and paramedics involved, saying their collective efforts have been central to Sarawak’s healthcare development and nation-building through the establishment of sustainable cardiac services in the state.
