THE number of beds at the Miri Hospital will increase to 667 when an extension to its building is completed in October 2023.

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said the RM289.2 million extension project to add 328 additional beds will meet the needs of Miri’s projected population of over 428,000 by 2025.

The hospital, in Sarawak’s second largest city, currently has 339 beds.

Performing the earth breaking for the new block this morning, Abang Johari said the hospital needed upgrades to create more space for management staff and to house specialised services for not only for the city’s residents, but also for those from Bintulu, Limbang and Lawas.

He said the population in northern Sarawak is estimated to be over 789,376 people by 2025. 

The new building will house the accident and emergency (A&E) department, specialist clinics for obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatric and surgical.

It will also have a new operating theatre and prenatal and antenatal wards.

It will become a “resident specialist hospital”, Abang Johari said, that will provide secondary and tertiary care services not available in Bintulu, Limbang or Lawas hospitals.

Senior Works Minister Fadillah Yusoff in his opening address said the new block will be a green-rated building under the MyCREST (Malaysian Carbon Reduction And Environmental Sustainability Tool) system.

He also said the integrated building system (IBS) will also be utilised to speed up construction and overcome the labour shortage currently experienced by the construction sector. – October 27, 2020.