New Lawas Hospital expected to evolve into specialist centre to cut long‑distance referrals, says deputy health minister

LAWAS, Sept 14 — The new 76-bed Lawas Hospital is expected to evolve into a specialist hospital, thereby reducing the local population’s reliance on distant hospitals.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib stated that current manpower constraints have resulted in incomplete staffing at the hospital, a situation that will improve once additional personnel are secured.

“I hope that God willing, medical specialists will be permanently based at Lawas Hospital, rather than relying on scheduled visiting specialists.

“It has been difficult for the people to access specialist care, as they previously had to be sent to distant hospitals. I hope this facility will become a specialist hospital,” she said at the Lawas Hospital project handover ceremony here today.

The new hospital is equipped with, among other facilities, two operating theatres, a patient kitchen, an ICT lab enabling remote consultations with medical specialists, nine haemodialysis machines, and 76 beds, including four beds in the High Dependency Ward.

Hanifah noted that geographical factors make comprehensive health facilities in Lawas crucial; previously, patients requiring specialist referrals had to travel approximately one and a half hours to Limbang and about three and a half hours to Miri via certain routes.

Meanwhile, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, who also attended the ceremony, stated that the RM183 million Lawas Hospital project was built by the Public Works Department’s Special Project Team 2 starting June 30, 2020, using a Design and Build method undertaken by MCS Management Sdn Bhd.

He expressed hope that the hospital would improve community access to quality healthcare services and serve as a catalyst for enhancing the quality of healthcare service delivery in Lawas. — Bernama