KOTA SAMARAHAN: Sarawak is poised to establish itself as a hub of infectious disease research in Southeast Asia (SEA).
Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Datuk Seri Roland Sagah Wee Inn said the purpose-built Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) facility would be completed within two years.
The state-of-the-art centre would be at the forefront of clinical research and innovation in the region, preparing Sarawak for the next potential pandemic.
“We have seen how the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded last time. All over SEA, nobody was really prepared.
“With Sarawak strategically located in the middle of the SEA, we hope it becomes the regional hub.
“Sarawak will be the first to have an advanced facility. While there are other research centres, like in Kuala Lumpur, this one is purpose-built,” he told reporters after witnessing the SIDC site handover to the appointed main contractor near Sarawak Heart Centre here, today.
Sagah said there are plans to collaborate with esteemed institutions worldwide, including Imperial College London, Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the Tropical Institute in Switzerland.
He assured that efforts are underway to forge partnerships with leading biomedical institutions in Australia and South Korea.
“And that includes the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products and vaccines,” he added.
On that same note, Sagah addressed the pressing issue of rabies, saying the disease is currently afflicting Sarawak and neighbouring Indonesia.
He said there are ongoing research efforts in Indonesia by Australian researchers and expressed hope that Sarawak would be able to collaborate.
“Rabies has no vaccine. I hope SIDC will come up with something to fight rabies. Because rabies is not just in Sarawak but also in Indonesia, and it is serious.
“We have some researchers from Australia who are studying the disease in Indonesia. And I hope we can collaborate. But we want them to do research here to establish our place as the centre,” he said.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, and Talent Development Datuk Francis Harden Hollis, SIDC chief executive officer Dr Ivan K. S. Yap, and head of Clinical Research Centre Institute for Clinical Research of Sarawak General Hospital Dr Alan Fong.
SIDC is a research facility set up by the state government to ensure Sarawak has the capability and capacity to respond to outbreaks.
The centre is expected to be completed within 30 months. It is implemented by the Sarawak Research and Development Council to enhance the state’s ability to detect and respond to infectious disease outbreaks globally.
It aims to strengthen research capabilities to develop diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, facilitating effective responses at both state and local levels during pandemics.
