RIPAS Hospital
The Ministry of Health (MoH) oversees four government hospitals, one in each district.
The Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital is the main referral and teaching hospital, located in Brunei- Muara District. The hospital consists of seven main blocks namely Ward blocks, the Specialist Clinics block, the Plant & Engineering block, the Outpatients & State Lab block, Sports Complex, Transport Complex with jetty and helipad facilities and the Women & Children Centre.
In November 2023, two new diagnostic machines began operations at the RIPAS hospital following an inauguration ceremony. The 3.0 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and 128 Dual Source Computed Tomography (CT) machines use AI that automates the work process and makes the scanning more consistent, reproducible and faster.
Located in Belait District, Suri Seri Begawan (SSB) Hospital is the longestoperating government hospital in Brunei, predating the RIPAS Hospital. In the beginning, the hospital was built with 185 beds. Since then, the hospital wards have continued to expand to encompass a variety of health services.
As part of the 11th National Development Plan (RKN), a new block will be constructed for the Accident and Emergency Unit at the SSB Hospital. This includes fully-equipped isolation rooms dedicated to treating patients with infectious diseases as well as decontaminating patients in HAZMAT incidents.
Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah (PMMPMHAMB) Hospital is located in Tutong District. Due to the relatively low population, combined with easy access to the highway, the hospital is easily reached and ideal for the country’s technologically advanced National Isolation Ward.
Situated in Temburong District, Pengiran Isteri Hajjah Mariam (PIHM) Hospital is the fourth largest district hospital in the country. Its services include dental, diagnostic, emergency and critical care, medical, mental health, specialist clinics, surgical, and women and children.
A list of government hospitals and health centres are available on the MoH website.
Gleneagles JPMC
The establishment of Gleneagles JPMC stemmed from the need to establish a cardiac centre in the Sultanate. This resulted in a joint venture between the Brunei Government and Parkway- Pantai Limited, a subsidiary of IHH Healthcare, a world-leading integrated healthcare provider.
Since its inception in July 2002, it was a clear goal that as the only tertiary cardiac centre in Brunei Darussalam, Gleneagles JPMC had to fulfil its obligations to the people of Brunei, its joint venture partner and the government in providing cardiac care equivalent to regional and even international centres of excellence.
Over the years, the centre has worked hard to achieve this by investing in state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, hiring of professionals with requisite skills and experience, and investing in quality and safety.
Excellent cardiac care Services
Gleneagles JPMC currently has two catheterisation laboratories with two bi-plane angiography systems. This allows the team to visualise patients’ coronary blood flow in great detail and to identify areas of blockage.
Recent advances in technology are also being employed in its angiographic studies, including the use of pressure studies to ascertain objectively the degree of blockage and restriction in blood flow and the direct visualisation of blood vessels from the interior of coronary vessels to ensure accurate and optimal stent deployment.
Besides percutaneous cardiac intervention, its cardiologists are also skilled in performing device implantations, structural heart procedures, including trans-catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
Gleneagles JPMC is one of the few centres regionally that is able to perform the latter procedure. Electrophysiology is another specialised service provided by Gleneagles JPMC, via 3-D mapping of the heart electrical network to treat arrhythmias.
The centre has also introduced extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for patients suffering from severe heart failure due to a massive heart attack, severe heart failure or even respiratory failure. The ECMO machine allows the patient to continue circulating oxygenated blood to their tissues, giving the heart a chance to rest and recover.
In 2015, Gleneagles JPMC became the first to perform left ventricular assist device implantation on patients with end-stage heart failure. This “mechanical heart” allows patients with severe heart damage and heart failure to lead an almost normal life.
Accreditation
In 2020, Gleneagles JPMC was awarded Joint Commission International’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its internationally recognised standards. This was followed by the hospital’s re-accreditation in 2023.
Joint Commission International’s hospital standards are developed in consultation with worldwide health care experts and providers, measurement experts, and patients. This prestigious recognition is a testament to the medical centre’s unwavering commitment to providing the highest standards of patient care and safety.
A healthier community
Gleneagles JPMC’s vision is to be a centre of excellence for cardiovascular health. Besides being a centre well-versed and equipped to treat cardiovascular diseases, Gleneagles JPMC believes in the adage that prevention is better – and less costly – than cure.
To this end, the medical centre has partnered with the Health Promotion Centre of the Ministry of Health in supporting their efforts in various health promotion programmes such as Workplace and Health (WAH); Happy Environment and Lifestyle (HEAL); and Growing, Learning, Optimising Towards Better Well-Being in Schools (GLOW).
Apart from this partnership, Gleneagles JPMC also regularly donates to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and conducts health talks and screenings as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.