Sunway
Healthcare Group (SHG), one of the leading integrated private healthcare groups
in Malaysia, will be opening their first hospital in Sunway City Iskandar
Puteri, scheduled for completion in 2030 with a capacity of more than 400 beds.
Unlike
previous simpler sites for groundbreaking ceremonies in Iskandar Puteri which I
had the privilege to witness some 17 years ago, the wooden floorboard under my
feet was carpeted, the huge tent had a billowy canopy with a stage and LED
screen backdrop, complete with lighting and sound-system in a proper outdoor
set-up.
The
event proceeded smoothly upon the arrival of the VIPs who were welcomed to
their seats in the front row. They were YB Lee Ting Han, Chairman of the Johor
State Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee,
representing the Johor Menteri Besar.
Along
with Sunway Group Founder and Chairman Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Sir Jeffrey Cheah KBE
AO, other VIPs included Datin Paduka Sarena Cheah, Sunway Group Executive
Deputy Chairman, Datuk Anuar Taib, Sunway Group President, Dato' Lau Beng Long,
Sunway Healthcare Group President, Chung Soo Kiong, Sunway Property Group
Managing Director and Gerard Soosay, Sunway Property Southern Region Chief
Executive Officer.
 |
| The official tagline and motto for the Sunway Healthcare Group: Improving the lives we touch |
Located adjacent to the Sunway
Big Box Retail Park, the SMCIP will have an integrated Cancer and Nuclear
Medicine Centre that offers radiotherapy and nuclear medicine services. It will
also focus on key specialties such as Cardiovascular, Oncology, Neuroscience,
Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Orthopaedics, as well as Women and Children’s
Health.
Strategically situated near the
Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone and the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid
Transit System Link scheduled to be ready by early next year, the hospital is
well positioned to support Johor’s growing population and its development as a
regional hub for commerce, industry, healthcare and medical tourism.
“The development of Sunway
Medical Centre Iskandar Puteri reflects continued investor confidence in Johor
and complements the State Government’s efforts to strengthen our healthcare
ecosystem,” said YB Lee Ting Han, Chairman of the Johor State Investment,
Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee.
“In addition to expanding access
to quality specialist care, I trust that this project will create skilled
employment opportunities and contribute to the continued growth of Iskandar
Puteri and the wider Johor economy,” he added.
SMCIP is expected to employ a
workforce of more than 1,400 healthcare professionals upon its targeted
completion. The hospital will have more than 45 intensive care beds and over
130 ambulatory care beds, supported by more than 80 consultation suites, 10
operating theatres and two catheterisation laboratories.
Sunway Healthcare Group President
Dato’ Lau Beng Long said Sunway Medical Centre Iskandar Puteri will be part of
the integrated Sunway City Iskandar Puteri township and will support the health
and well-being of surrounding communities.
“Today’s groundbreaking marks an
important step towards realising our vision for Sunway Medical Centre Iskandar
Puteri. As the healthcare anchor of this integrated ecosystem, the hospital
will enable us to bring our clinical expertise, integrated model of care and
commitment to service excellence to communities across southern Malaysia as
well as international patients from Indonesia and Singapore,” said Lau.
 |
| The VIPs wore gloves before holding their 'golden' shovels to symbolically break-the-ground |
“Businesses choose to invest
where people can build secure and fulfilling lives, and families put their
trust in places where quality medical care is within reach,” said Cheah.
“We look forward to building a
trusted medical institution that serves Johor and the wider region for
generations to come,” he added.
SMCIP will form part of Sunway
City Iskandar Puteri, a vibrant 2,000-acre integrated and vibrant township that
features education, hospitality, entertainment, retail, commercial and
residential components.
Upon full completion, the township is expected to serve a community of more than 250,000 residents. Sunway City Iskandar Puteri is also one of Johor’s first townships to receive Green Building Index certification, with a Silver rating.
 |
| The symbolic Groundbreaking by the VIPs using 'golden' shovels |
The township’s next phase of
growth includes the recently launched Sunway Puteri Hills, a dining and
lifestyle destination overlooking the Straits of Johor, and the Jeffrey Cheah
Circuit, a 4.5-kilometre private, members-only motorsport circuit.
Plans also include an educational
institution and a leisure and hospitality component expected to feature a
Banjaran retreat.
On hearing this plan for a
five-star Banjaran Mangrove Retreat created next to the Pendas River, my
thoughts flashed to my extraordinary experience at the five-star, award-winning Banjaran Hotsprings Retreat with a peek into Jeff’s Cellar in 2012.
Then it was time for the
groundbreaking ceremony, a symbolic start-of-construction of the SMCIP, where
the VIPs were invited to break-the-ground manually using fancy ‘golden’ long-handled
shovels.
 |
| Traditional prancing lions danced to the beat of the piling machine on the brown field beyond |
Photographers were poised with
their cameras to capture the moment and at the end of the countdown, the seven
VIPs lifted their shovels to dig into the soil while the backdrop wall of
curtains was drawn open to reveal the sunlit brown field beyond.
On the horizon, piling equipment
were already in place, ready to simultaneously start the piling work with loud
thumps while six brightly adorned traditional Chinese dancing lions pranced to
the beat and approached the VIPs at the edge of the tent.
When the SMCIP opens in Sunway
City Iskandar Puteri, it will join the Sunway Group's network of healthcare
facilities that include its flagship quaternary hospital, Sunway Medical Centre
Sunway City; tertiary hospitals in Velocity, Penang, Damansara and Ipoh;
ambulatory care services at Sunway Specialist Centre Damansara; and
complementary services offered through Sunway TCM Centre, Sunway Fertility
Centre and Sunway Home Healthcare.
 |
| Capturing a photo memento of the Groundbreaking Ceremony |
Launched in 2014, Sunway City
Iskandar Puteri began with over 2,000 acres of prime land and over the years, I
had the pleasure to enjoy dining and shopping experiences in Sunway Citrine Hub,
Sunway Big Box Retail Park, Sunway Hotel Big Box and Sunway Boulevard 88.
A decade on, the township has
grown into a vibrant, self-sustaining community with over 30% developed and
thousands calling it home. Together with this new hospital, these developments
will further broaden the township’s residential, education, healthcare,
hospitality and leisure destinations in Sunway City Iskandar Puteri.
