Nuclear medicine centre launched in Penang as country’s borders reopen

GEORGE TOWN – The Penang Adventist Hospital has launched the first full-fledged private facility for nuclear medicine in the northern region ahead of the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders, which is expected to bring a revival of medical tourism.

The Nuclear Medicine Centre will feature the new single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT/CT) equipment to boost diagnosis in numerous medical fields like cardiology, orthopaedics, oncology, endocrinology and nephrology, among others.

Consultant nuclear medicine physician Dr Alex Khoo Cheen Hoe said there were unavoidable delays in setting up the facility over the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I know nuclear medicine sounds alien to most people, but this field has been in existence for a long time, even before antibiotics,” he said.

“This is the key to precision medicine, where we can customise scans and treatment according to the patient’s clinical conditions to make the process specific, accurate and less intrusive.

“What was available overseas is now available in Malaysia, and instead of going elsewhere for treatment, people from other countries are also coming here, because we have what it takes to provide medical care,” he said during his speech at the launch of the centre yesterday.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who officiated the event, said that the opening of the Nuclear Medical Centre could not have come at a better time, as it was just after the prime minister’s recent announcement on the international border reopening on April 1.

“This will be an excellent addition to the state’s already burgeoning healthcare travel industry,” he said.

“Penang leads the way in healthcare travel revenue, earning RM750 million from 500,000 patients who flew to the state in 2019,” he said.

“With nuclear imaging, physicians are now able to efficiently and cost-effectively diagnose and treat patients while avoiding more invasive procedures, such as surgery or biopsy.

“As a result, I strongly believe that it has a huge potential in providing the best healthcare to the people of Penang and the rest of Malaysia,” he said.

Penang Adventist Hospital CEO Ronald Koh Wah Heng said that many patients from other countries, especially Indonesia, are expected to return to Penang to undergo needed treatment that was held off for two years.

He also said that during the pandemic, the hospital, along with the Rotary Club, offered free bypass surgeries worth RM1 million to patients at the Penang General Hospital.

“We helped Penang General Hospital when they had to scale down surgeries due to the rise of Covid-19 cases.

“In view of our hospital’s ongoing mission to reach out to the needy in the community, we will be offering 30 diagnostic scans to B40 patients in the next three months, utilising RM50,630 from the Penang Adventist Hospital Charity Fund.

“We hope this will relieve some of our patients’ burden to receive quality healthcare,” he said. – The Vibes, March 14, 2022