THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW ADVENTIST HEART CENTRE PENANG ADVENTIST HOSPITAL

SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG

AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF NEW ADVENTIST HEART CENTRE PENANG ADVENTIST HOSPITAL

2 April 2018

 

 

Good morning.

Thank you for inviting me to grace the Official Opening of the newly expanded Adventist Heart Centre. 

According to the Ministry of Health Malaysia, the healthcare sector has seen robust growth over the past decade. This sector is also one of the highest multipliers in the economy in Malaysia.

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, heart disease has remained the principal cause of death among Malaysians over the past 10 years, recording 13.2 percent in 2016. In 2015, 15,000 heart patients were recorded in Penang alone, and the figure is expected to increase between 2,000 to 3,000 annually.

On the global front, the World Heart Federation stated that Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD) is responsible for claiming 17.5 million lives annually, and by 2030, the World Health Organisation expects this figure to top 23.6 million victims.

The newly expanded 8,700 square-foot Adventist Heart Centre with an estimated cost is RM3.3 million, which is more than double the size of the existing space, will greatly enable its 5 cardiologists and 2 cardiothoracic surgeons to position the hospital to meet the rapidly increasing demand for cardiac care services. 

Statistics from Penang Global Tourism (PGT) revealed that in 2016, Penang received 347,100 healthcare travellers and contributed to about RM458,262,629 in revenue. For 2017, the number of Penang's foreign patients arrival rose to 382,164 and this accounted for RM550,274,088 in medical tourism receipt. This revenue accounted to 42.33% of health tourism market in Malaysia. 

The Penang Adventist Hospital also conducts charitable treatment of heart problems and I hope this can be escalated. Finally, congratulations to Penang Adventist Hospital on the Official Opening of your newly expanded Adventist Heart Centre. 

Thank you.