Sarawak to set up centre for infectious diseases

KOTA SAMARAHAN: The Sarawak government has allocated RM190 million to set up a research centre for infectious diseases, Chief Minister Datuk Abang Johari Openg said yesterday.

He said work on building the centre would commence next year at a site next to the Sarawak Heart Centre. The new Sarawak Biodiversity Centre will also be in the same locality.

“These institutions will collaborate with one another, especially on research on infectious and tropical diseases, and we believe this is very important in this part of the world,” he told reporters after launching a two-day International Conference on Innovative Sciences and Technologies for Research and Education Special Edition 2020 at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus, here.

The centre, the first of its kind in the country to do research on tropical diseases, will collaborate with world-renowned institutions including Oxford University, Cambridge University and Imperial College, as well as local universities and scientists.

“We hope that with this collaboration, our pharmaceutical industry including those who are involved in medical research, will come and work together with us,” he said.

The conference, the first Global Summit on Viral-Immunology and Antiviral Therapy of Covid-19, is jointly organised by UiTM Sarawak, Anhui Medical University of China and Asia China Education and Culture Association. – Bernama