KUCHING: The NorthBank Business Exchange (NBX) is set to form part of the wider ecosystem supporting the emerging Sarawak Health Metropolis.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the metropolis would extend beyond medical services by bringing together education, research, healthcare, manufacturing, housing and other supporting components.
“It is not just a medical hub. It is the Sarawak Health Metropolis, and it is now taking shape,” he said when launching NBX and NBX Residence I at Ibraco Gallery, The NorthBank here today (Sept 14).
Dr Sim, who is also Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister, said the concentration of healthcare and educational institutions within a five-kilometre area in Kota Samarahan would provide the foundation for the metropolis.
These include institutions capable of training doctors, nurses, researchers and other skilled professionals, alongside the proposed Sarawak Cancer Centre and Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre.
He said the ecosystem would also require suitable workplaces, housing and amenities for healthcare professionals, researchers and their families.
“You need to develop an entire ecosystem, from education and private institutions to healthcare and other supporting components.
“That is what NBX is trying to do. It is part of the health metropolis,” he said.
Meanwhile, he added that connectivity would be another important element, with the SM07 NorthBank Ibraco Station forming part of the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) network.
“Our ART system has reached 38 per cent completion, while the Blue Line will connect Rembus in Kota Samarahan to the Kuching city centre and Hikmah Exchange,” he said.
