KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu is breathing a sigh of relief as the state’s main medical facility for heart disease diagnosis and treatment – the cardiology and cardiothoracic wards of the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital (SNZH) in Batu Burok – will finally be expanded beyond its meagre four beds under the 2018 Budget.
The hospital is among those to be provided additional funding under the RM27 billion allocation for healthcare announced in Parliament by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday – an increase of RM2 billion over last year’s budget.
More heart patients can soon look forward to receiving healthcare in Terengganu, rather than having to be referred to the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur.
State health department director Dr Mohammad Omar said that an estimated RM30 is required to upgrade facilities at the SNZH.
“For a long time, in fact for the past 32 years, the hospital could only accommodate four beds to handle heart patients at its cardio wards.
“And we could manage just 16 beds for recovery of patients after surgery or procedures. That, too, by having to mix male and female patients in the same ward,” said Dr Mohammad.
He added that the Budget 2018 allocation is timely, as the SNZH’s new cardiology unit, set up in 2010, is inadequate to meet the increasing demand of heart patients.
“We now have only two cardiology specialists to carry out angioplasty and stenting procedures, serving up to 30 heart patients a week.
“The wards are getting cramped and we are operating beyond capacity,” said Dr Mohammad.
He added that even if the hospital was provided with better equipment and facilities, it still needs more heart specialists and nursing staff.
“Otherwise, with so many heart cases, we may have to still refer patients to other hospitals and the IJN, especially for complicated cases,” said Dr Mohamad.
Under the 11th Malaysia Plan, RM108.38 million has been approved for five projects involving infrastructure and the upgrading of existing facilities at SNZH, to improve the quality of health care services by the end of next year.
This includes the construction of a RM62 million three-storey block for the Psychiatry Unit, a new RM2.38 million haemodialysis block equipped with 11 haemodialysis machines, and a RM20 million pharmacy which will function as a distribution warehouse for all inventories required for patient care services.
Additionally, RM4 million has also been allocated to upgrade the hospital's medical gas supply and air conditioning system.