(From right) Cheah, Dr Muhammad Radzi and Dr Zaliha visiting the hospital’s cancer treatment centre in Sunway Medical Centre Penang.
SUNWAY Healthcare Group unveiled its first hospital in Penang with the opening of the Sunway Medical Centre Penang (SMCP) in Seberang Jaya.
The medical centre, which cost around RM430mil, is the latest addition to Sunway’s network of hospitals in the country and will be the group’s premier healthcare facility serving the northern region.
The hospital opened its doors on Nov 11, 2022 and boasts more than 30 medical specialties, with the main focus on cancer care and acute care treatment.
Founder and chairman of Sunway Group Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah said SMCP was part of the group’s integrated development on mainland Penang, with easy access to Sunway Hotel Seberang Jaya and Sunway Carnival Mall.
“The first phase will have 200 beds, and the second phase, which is expected to start soon and completed sometime in the middle of next year, will have an additional 130 beds.
“In total, we will have more than 600 healthcare professionals working hand-in-hand to deliver excellent patient care,” he said at the opening of the hospital by Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
He added that Sunway Group had, to date, invested a total of RM1.3bil in Penang.
Speaking at the event, Cheah said that the hospital would help enhance Penang’s medical tourism sector, making the state’s economy grow substantially.
Medical personnel busy at their workstation in the new medical centre in Seberang Jaya, on mainland Penang.
“One of the reasons we expanded to mainland Penang is because it is an underserved area that has a big demand for world-class healthcare facilities.
“Since we wanted to have integrated development on this land, and with the mall already here, we decided that a hospital would augur well for our strong presence here.
“At the same time, we also wanted to meet the growing demands of the communities in Kedah, northern Perak and other parts of the northern region,” he said.
Including the new hospital, the group now operates three tertiary hospitals with a combined capacity of more than 1,500 beds and some 500 consultant specialists.
“With the establishment of additional hospitals in Ipoh and Damansara by next year, the group is set to have over 3,000 beds among its network of hospitals nationwide,” he said.
He added that in the future, the group planned to expand its medical healthcare facilities to Kota Baru, Iskandar Puteri, Johor Baru and Paya Terubong.
Dr Zaliha, in her speech, lauded SMCP’s move to complement the Health Ministry’s efforts to serve the healthcare needs of Penangites and those in the northern region by offering specialised diagnostic and medical treatment options.
“The ministry is also taking steps to cultivate effective public and private collaborations, which will reduce the workload imbalance, optimise resources in the public and private sectors, and improve access to healthcare services, including services at the community level,” she said.
Dr Zaliha added that Sunway Healthcare’s presence in Penang elevated the state’s healthcare travel offerings, especially as part of the Malaysian Healthcare Tourism Council’s esteemed hospital membership programme.
“This medical centre will enhance Penang’s standing in the healthcare travel industry by solidifying the state’s reputation as a preferred destination for exceptional medical services,” she said.
Also present were Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan, Sunway Group deputy executive chairman Tan Sri Razman M. Hashim, Sunway Healthcare Group (Hospital and Healthcare Operations) managing director Dr Khoo Chow Huat and SMCP chief executive officer Stephanie Lee.
Sunway Healthcare also has plans to introduce the Sunway Traditional and Complementary Medicine Centre and Home Healthcare to the northern region in the near future.
Among others, SMCP is equipped with Varian Truebeam STX, a powerful radiotherapy system that enables highly targeted and proper cancer treatment, and the hospital is also the first to have the Da Vinci Robotic Surgery Systems in the northern region.
Dr Zaliha launched the new facility by esigning a digital plaque before she, Cheah, and the others were taken on a tour of the hospital.
