BINTULU: Bintulu Hospital is now equipped with a Cardiac Catheterisation Laboratory (CATH Lab), making it the second heart treatment centre in the state after the Sarawak Heart Centre in Samarahan.
Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, said this facility was made possible through funds raised by the Sarawak Heart Foundation, with support from Petros and Press Metal, which contributed over RM2 million.
He explained that the funding enabled the hospital’s radiology unit to be upgraded into a cardiology centre capable of providing immediate treatment to heart patients.
“Now, we are able to detect blocked heart arteries,” he said during a visit to the CATH Lab satellite centre at Bintulu Hospital on Tuesday.
According to Dr Sim, the CATH Lab plays a crucial role in treating heart attacks, allowing patients with blocked arteries to receive prompt treatment without the need for referral to Kuching or other hospitals.
“Sometimes, when blood vessels are blocked, medication alone is insufficient to restore blood flow. This is where the expertise of an interventional cardiologist is essential —such as the chief cardiologist of the Sarawak Heart Centre, Dr Ong Tiong Kiam, who can carry out procedures using a fine wire as thin as a strand of hair,” he explained.
This technology, he noted, enables angioplasty procedures to be performed by inserting a wire through the patient’s hand to the heart. A balloon is then used to open the blocked artery, followed by the placement of a stent to keep it open.
“In the past, patients would have needed open-heart surgery, but now they can be treated in the morning and walk out of the hospital by the afternoon,” added Dr Sim.
With the establishment of this CATH Lab, Bintulu Hospital now serves as a mini satellite centre for heart treatment in Sarawak, allowing local residents to access faster and more efficient care.
He also praised the efforts of doctors from the Sarawak Heart Centre, who are willing to serve in Bintulu on a rotational basis to ensure more patients receive treatment.
“Yesterday, they performed six procedures, and today another five. This is just the beginning, and I am confident that this centre will expand rapidly,” he said.
Also present was the Director of Bintulu Hospital, Dr Suzalina Sulaiman.
