KUCHING: Sarawak is turning the old Miri City Council building into the Fudan Institute of Integrative Medicine, a medical research centre powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that marks a new step in the State’s healthcare development.
According to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, renovation work on the heritage building has begun, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
He said that the institute, established in collaboration with Fudan University in Shanghai, will focus on AI diagnostic medicine and other areas of integrative health research.
“They will be participating in our Sarawak Mega Show in Singapore this October to showcase AI in diagnostic medicine. When it opens, that will be a permanent feature in the Miri campus,” he said.
He said this when he was met by the media after officiating the Borneo Blockchain Conference 2025 at the Borneo Cultures Museum today.
He said the project also preserves the site’s heritage, making it more meaningful.
“We just handed the building over to them. It’s our heritage, so we cannot knock down everything,” he said.
Following this, he also confirmed that the Sarawak Cancer Centre remains a federal project funded by the State first before reimbursement.
“My understanding is that the Sarawak Cancer Centre, even though the funding comes from the state government, is a federal project. The federal government will reimburse us later,” he said.
He said the Public Works Department Malaysia and the Ministry of Health are overseeing the project’s implementation and value assessment.
“Even though it is our money, they are the ones implementing it, but that is beside the point. At least we get the cancer hospital,” he said.
Dr Sim stressed that Sarawak must continue strengthening its health infrastructure to close the gap with the rest of the country.
“There is no reason why Sarawak’s healthcare should be behind the rest of Malaysia. We want to improve, we want to catch up,” he said.
He acknowledged that while construction costs are manageable, operational expenses are much higher.
“The cost of building is cheap, but the yearly operational cost is very high. That is why the federal government will have to decide,” he said.
He said the State will keep funding key health projects upfront to ensure they move forward despite the costs.
“If we don’t put up the money, there will be no cancer hospital here. We want Sarawakians to have better healthcare and to live longer, healthier lives,” he said.
