THE National Heart Institute (IJN) is setting up a heart specialist centre in Terengganu, its first outside Kuala Lumpur (KL).
The centre will be set up as part of a strategic collaboration with Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA). Both parties recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the provision and establishment of medical and health services, facilities, training, research and other related medical services in Terengganu.
The strategic co-operation is premised on UniSZA’s existing medical campus and faculty in Kuala Terengganu, with its developed infrastructure and building facilities including a new teaching hospital. It will be equipped with modern facilities that are synergistic to IJN’s interest in providing its medical expertise and services in cardiovascular and thoracic care in Terengganu.
On signing of the MOU, UniSZA and IJN intend to commence the initial stage of their co-operation with the provision of certain cardiovascular and thoracic consultancy and advisory services at UniSZA Teaching Hospital.
IJN CEO Datuk Dr Aizai Azan Abdul Rahim said the centre would start with specialist outpatient treatment first and later move into other services like paediatric cardiovascular and thoracic. He added that IJN was also looking at working on integrated disease management with UniSZA.
“The centre will benefit around 30,000 patients in the East Coast. We have requests by many people asking if we would give treatment outside KL.
“This is the first step and we are looking at possibilities of opening such centres in other areas as well,” he told a Press conference.
Aizai said IJN specialists would be assigned to UniSZA Teaching Hospital to deliver medical services and share their skills and participate in joint-research initiatives with their peers from UniSZA.
“Building upon our success so far, a core part of our current strategic plan is to expand our services and expertise beyond the confines of our headquarters in KL,” he said at the signing of the MOU which was also witnessed by Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
Since IJN’s inception in 1992, it had been delivering leading-edge and high-quality heartcare and treatment to Malaysians.
As of 2020, it had served almost five million people from all walks of life. It has also garnered a strong international reputation and has been accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) since 2009 and locally by MSQH since 2006.
