Sarawak aims to be regional leader in infectious disease research
KUCHING: Sarawak is gearing up to position itself as a prominent centre for infectious disease research within Southeast Asia, with plans underway for the completion of the state-of-the-art Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) within two years.
Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said SIDC, located adjacent to the Sarawak Heart Centre in Samarahan, is designed to be a cu ing-edge facility dedicated to infectious disease research.
“SIDC is one of the key strategic initiatives by the Sarawak government through SRDC (Sarawak Research and Development Council).
“This is to ensure that we are prepared for any outbreak in Sarawak, mainly to do with diseases in the Southeast Asia region,” he said in his speech during the handover of the SIDC site here yesterday.
Sagah said the establishment of SIDC is part of a broader strategy to develop a biomedical industry in Sarawak, which will contribute to the growth of a knowledge-driven, highly skilled workforce in the region, in line with the state’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
In this regard, he said the Sarawak government is fully commi ed to funding both the construction and operation of SIDC, emphasising the importance of being prepared for potential outbreaks both locally and regionally.
“Considering the collaborations we have formed with partners in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Singapore, South Korea, and Australia, as well as the interest from laboratory users, I urge the contractor and project team to speed up and fully commit to completing the building before the 30-month deadline.
“I hope there won’t be any delays. We need to start construction immediately. Sarawak’s readiness for future pandemics hinges on the work done by the SIDC, paving the way for a thriving biomedical ecosystem,” he added.
The event saw the SIDC site symbolically handed over to the main contractor for building and infrastructure, Perbena Emas Sdn Bhd by Borneo Development Corporation (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd (BDC).
Among those present were Sagah’s deputy Datuk Francis Harden Hollis; SIDC CEO Assoc Prof Dr Ivan Yap Kok Seng; Sarawak General Hospital Clinical Research Centre head Dr Alan Fong, BDC chief executive officer Nor-E-Fadzwie Salleh, and Perbena Emas executive director Helen Teng.