Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital is the national hospital of Brunei and began operations in August 1984. Over the years, RIPAS Hospital has expanded its infrastructure, medical and healthcare services and facilities, with the establishment of specialty and subspecialty departments, upgrades to high-tech equipment and the introduction of critical-care facilities.
RIPAS Hospital is also a major teaching hospital in the country for doctors, medical students and nursing students in collaboration with Institute of Medicine, Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Faculty of Medicine of University of Queensland, Australia.
With the ongoing Brunei government’s support for the hospital’s architecture, infrastructure and facilities, the Ministry of Health has made every effort in providing adequate manpower and financial resources. Thus, a strong focus has been given to continuously upgrade the professional skills of its workforce from doctors to nurses and staff members through training and work attachments in various renowned overseas medical establishments.
In November 2018, the Ministry of Health announced the relocation of RIPAS Hospital’s Neurology, Neurosurgery and Rehabilitation Services to the Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre (PJSC). The relocation was made in phases to ensure a systematical and structured transition.
RIPAS Hospital’s aim is to provide Bruneians high quality and sustainable health services as a centre of healthcare excellence. Apart from continuous professional development programmes for its staff, RIPAS Hospital organises health awareness programmes including public lectures, health screening road shows, healthy lifestyle promotions and set up support groups.
As the hospital approaches its 35th anniversary, RIPAS Hospital continues to prioritise improving the quality and standard of health services.
In 2003, the Accident and Emergency Department received 67,000 patients. To ease the patient loads and make the operations more systematic, the Women and Children’s Block was established at RIPAS hospital in 2014, catering specifically to women and children.
The Women and Children’s Block is equipped with high-tech specialist facilities and services, including a Paediatric Ward, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ward, Children’s Specialist Ward, General Paediatric Ward, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Special Care Baby Unit, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Oncology Ward, 13 suites of labour rooms, two operation rooms, and a Gynaecology Ward.
After the extensive BND1 million renovation and expansion project at RIPAS hospital, the Accident and Emergency Department now has three areas: the resuscitation area, urgent area and non-urgent area. Each area has its equipments upgraded and space expanded. A new emergency ward for children has been introduced.
RIPAS Hospital offers more than 15 clinical specialties, including the Medical Services Department, Surgical Services Department, Accident and Emergency Department, Obstetric and Gynecology Department, Neurosurgery Department and Orthopedic Department.
Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) is a private specialist hospital in Brunei. It offers general, specialised and surgical healthcare services for the public.
JPMC has several clinics and units, including an Outpatient Clinic, Dental Clinic, Diagnostic Imaging Services, Laboratory, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics and Sports Injury, Paediatrics, Reproductive Medicine Unit, Occupational Health, Pre-Employment Health Screening, and Pre-implantation Genetic Screening. The Outpatient Clinic offers cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, histopathology, nephrology, neurology, occupational health, psychology, implantology, neurosurgery, oral dental surgery, periodontal services and orthopaedic surgery.
For women, the obstetrics and gynaecology clinic provides regular checkups and preventive care. The paediatrics clinic offers medical care to children.
JPMC provides pre-employment health screenings to ensure an individual is fit to work.
Before 2003, patients who needed tertiary cardiac care had no choice but to travel overseas for treatment. Now patients can seek treatment at Gleneagles Jerudong Park Medical Centre (GJPMC), Brunei’s top cardiac centre. In 2016, GJPMC performed more than 1,000 angiograms, 550 percutaneous interventions and 150 open heart surgeries.
GJPMC is a private specialist hospital, a joint venture between the Brunei government and Parkway-Pantai Ltd. The centre has 50 beds including eight at the Coronary Care Unit. It houses specialist outpatient clinics, two operating theatres, two cardiac characterisation labs, a non-invasive cardiac lab and a rehabilitation centre.
The centre is a pioneer in medical innovation and technology. It achieved a major milestone in 2003 when it performed the first coronary stenting and coronary artery bypass graft surgery. In 2013, GJPMC improved its treatment for cardiac rhythm by introducing 3D electrical mapping of the heart for electrophysiology and ablation. The surgical implantation of a left ventricular assist device into a patient with severe heart failure in 2014 was followed by a trans-catheter aortic valve implantation in 2016, a procedure which removed the necessity for open heart surgery.
GJPMC made international headlines when it broadcast live the advanced medical procedures carried out at the centre to the 14th MYLIVE 2017 in Kuala Lumpur – an international cardiology conference which attracted specialists from all over the world. It was the first live telecast of an operation from Brunei.
Cardiovascular diseases incraise awareness, Gleneagles JPMC collaborated with Brunei LNG and held Brunei LNG World Heart Day in October 2018. Gleneagles JPMC CEO Dr Peter Tay delivered a talk on the signs and dangers of heart attack and how to prevent them. In January 2019, Gleneagles JPMC held a health check-up and exhibition. The event included a basic health screening for the body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and glucose test. The centre representatives also highlighted common health issues and treatments offered by Gleneagles JPMC.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that measures the heart’s electrical activity to detect any cardiac problems. To sharpen doctors’ ECG diagnostic skills, cardiologists from Gleneagles JPMC and RIPAS Hospital held the Annual ECG Workshop in May 2018. With faster and more accurate ECG diagnostic skills, patients can receive early treatment and have a higher chance of recovery.
Gleneagles JPMC has received referrals from neighbouring cities. The centre aims to develop into a tertiary referral centre and help Brunei become a major medical tourism destination in the region.
The Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre is a healthcare specialist centre consisting of two centres: The Brunei Cancer Centre and the Brunei Neuroscience Stroke Rehabilitation Centre. They operate the Maxillofacial, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Centre.
Previously known as the National Cancer Centre, The Brunei Cancer Centre (TBCC) was established in 2009. TBCC provides chemotherapy, targetted therapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine therapy. Specialty oncology nurses provide counselling, support and care for patients and their families with specific types of cancer.
TBCC actively participates in clinical studies and international multicentre clinical trials. Their findings are presented in International Oncology Conferences. TBCC also participates in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate medical students from the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
In 2016, TBCC received more than 10,000 patients. Patients shared their success stories, cancers now in complete or partial revision following care at TBCC.
Established in 2010, the Brunei Neuroscience Stroke & Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC) is the largest centre of its kind in Southeast Asia. It was founded on cooperation with an internationally-recognised German centre of excellence in neurology, neurorehabilitation and science – the Krankenhaus Nordwest.
The BNSRC, accredited by the acting president of the World Stroke Organization, has saved hundreds of lives and is ready to welcome health tourists from the region and the world over. The centre is equipped with a specialised intensive care stroke unit, neuro-medical, neurosurgical and neurorehabilitation units. It provides neurological checkups, consultations and healthy lifestyle advice.
In addition to cancer treatment and neurorehabilitation, BNSRC provides rehabilitation programmes to support the neighbouring Jerudong Park Medical Centre, receiving referred patients with musculoskeletal/sports, orthopedics and women’s health issues.
Previously, patients with neurological and neurosurgical cases were treated overseas. By opening the hybrid operation theatre complex, patients are now treated onsite. The centre has performed award-winning clinical and epidemiological studies on up to 5,000 participants, raising the public’s awareness on stroke.
Opened to coincide with their free cancer screening for the mouth, neck and skin of head and neck, the Maxillofacial, Facial Plastic and Reconstruction Surgery Centre (MFPRSC) delivers state-of-the-art healthcare in the fields of maxillofacial, facial plastic, reconstructive surgery, and head and neck surgical oncology.
The centre offers outpatient care, surgical and laser treatments, cranio-maxillofacial prosthetics and reconstructive implantology services. It houses a 3D printing laboratory.
MFPRSC offers training courses such as the Advanced Training in Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Trauma, Advanced Diploma in Neuro/Plastic/Cranio-Maxillofacial/Microvascular Surgical Nursing, Diploma for Operation Theatre Assistants, Nursing Student Affiliation, and Training; Intersnhips and Observation for medical, dental and nursing students.
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