Sarawak General Hospital

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Sarawak General Hospital

Sarawak General Hospital, also known as Hospital Umum Sarawak, is the largest general hospital in Sarawak, Malaysia. It sits in Kuching and is one of East Malaysia’s two main tertiary hospitals—the other is Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Sabah.

History and growth
- The hospital began as Kuching General Hospital, with the first records dating to 1910. It moved to Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg and opened there in 1931.
- After World War II, a new, modern hospital was planned in the 1950s–60s. A development plan funded partly by the Malaysian federal government and partly by Australia under the Colombo Plan led to a major expansion.
- Phase I (1965–1970) built an eight-story Main Block with the Emergency Department, costing about RM17.8 million. Phase II (1970–1972) added more floors, increasing capacity to 582 beds and giving the hospital many modern facilities.
- Over the years, more additions followed, including housing quarters, a mortuary, laboratories, a new pharmacy, specialist clinics, and a refurbishment of the main tower. By 2012, the hospital had 1005 beds.

Facilities and services
- The hospital offers a wide range of services and units, including Radiotherapy and Oncology (established in 1985), Physiotherapy (1987), and Haemodialysis (1987).
- It operates a helipad for emergency evacuations.

Teaching and research
- SGH is a teaching hospital for Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). It serves as a training site for medical students and attracts elective attachments from many countries, including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, and others.
- In 2003, the Institute for Clinical Research (a unit of the Malaysian Ministry of Health) established a Clinical Research Centre at SGH, the third such centre in Malaysia. Phase I clinical trials began in 2015.
- A key figure in SGH’s recent medical development was Dr Chew Peng Hong, who led the Medicine department from 1987 to 2003 and helped establish numerous subspecialties. In recognition of his contributions, he was honored with the title Datuk (PJn).

Today, Sarawak General Hospital remains a major teaching and referral hospital, serving as a central hub for medical care, training, and research in Sarawak.