Located about 0.8 kilometres from the capital, the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital stands as the nation’s main landmark to healthcare. The hospital consists of seven main blocks: Ward blocks, the Specialist Clinics block, the Plant & Engineering block, the Outpatients and State Lab block, the Sports Complex, the Transport Complex with jetty and helipad facilities and the Women and Children’s Centre.
RIPAS Hospital was officially opened in 1984, the same year the country gained independence. On opening, the hospital assumed the role of the Rumah Sakit Besar, Bandar Seri Begawan, which had become cramped and was no longer able to accommodate the nation’s growing medical and health needs.
In terms of specialist training, some departments in RIPAS Hospital have been accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons, United Kingdom since 1982. The hospital has also been accredited for basic specialist medical training by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Clinic. In 2000, RIPAS Hospital gained further accreditation as a teaching hospital by Queensland University Hospital.
The RIPAS Hospital Women and Children’s Centre was officially opened in 2015. The centre is equipped with state of the art facilities and services for its 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.
Since 2015, the Accident and Emergency Department has expanded in terms of area and equipment to provide high-quality care for patients who are in critical condition.
The department has three areas: the resuscitation area (yellow zone), urgent area (red zone) and non-urgent cases area (green zone). Following a renovation expansion project, each area had its equipment upgraded and space expanded, and a new emergency ward for children was introduced. The hospital’s main focus is to give the people of Brunei Darussalam high quality services sustainable by the government. RIPAS Hospital offers more than 15 clinical specialties, including the Medical Services Department, Surgical Services Department, Accident and Emergency Department, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department, Neurosurgery Department and Orthopedic Department.
Annually, the hospital has recorded 314,092 outpatient attendance and 28,198 inpatient admissions, with a 72-per-cent bed occupancy rate. RIPAS Hospital aims to be the centre of healthcare excellence in the region, generating revenue for the government through medical tourism.
As it reaches 20 years of operations in Brunei this year, Gleneagles JPMC has anchored itself as a world-class private specialist tertiary cardiaccare hospital, boasting cutting-edge facilities and offering some of the most experienced cardiovascular healthcare professionals in the business.
Gleneagles JPMC is Brunei’s premier and only tertiary cardiac centre, a joint venture between the Brunei Government and one of the world’s largest listed healthcare operators, IHH Healthcare Berhad.
Over the years, Gleneagles JPMC has marked many milestones and achievements. These include being the first centre in Borneo and one of the first in the region to perform an endovascular stenting for aortic aneurysms in 2005; thoracoscopic ablation for atrial fibrillation in 2006; implantation of the Watchman device for left atrial appendage closure; and mitra clip insertion for mitral valve repair in 2014.
In 2013, Gleneagles JPMC became the first centre in Borneo and one of the first in the region to acquire the CARTO mapping system and to perform radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The following year, Gleneagles JPMC became the first centre in Borneo and one of the first in the region to perform successful implantation of a left ventricular assist device.
In 2016, Gleneagles JPMC performed its first case of trans catheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). Since then, it has performed over 20 cases.
Gleneagles JPMC also 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 a medical procedure from Brunei. Gleneagles JPMC performed its second live transmission two years later to the ASEAN Federation of Cardiology Congress (AFCC) 2019.
In an interview with the Borneo Bulletin Yearbook, Gleneagles JPMC CEO Dr Peter Tay attributed the two decades of success to their excellent cooperation and coordination with the Brunei Government and its general hospitals, giving them unparalleled, quick and seamless patient transfers and the all-important en route emergency cardiac assistance and care that Gleneagles JPMC specialises in.
The consent of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, in addition to His Majesty’s confidence and support of Gleneagles JPMC as well as the board of directors’ advice and guidance has also enabled the centre to thrive, said the CEO. He also thanked Ministry of Health (MoH) doctors, nurses and staff of the Cardiology Unit of Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (RIPAS) Hospital for their continued cooperation and collaboration.
The CEO added that their patients have been at the heart of the centre’s success, and he thanked them for trusting Gleneagles JPMC as their healthcare partner of choice in their road towards recovery. “Last but definitely not least, our own staff including doctors, nurses, allied healthcare professionals and supporting staff for their tireless work and dedication.”
In 2020, Gleneagles JPMC earned the Joint Commission International’s (JCI) Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation, demonstrating continuous compliance with its internationally recognised standards. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organisation’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.
Sharing on the accreditation process, Dr Peter said that the process itself was a learning journey and felt as they had to make a fresh start. “We constituted a quality department and hired quality executives and well as HSE professionals. We brought in a physician with JCI experience as project manager. We formed relevant committees and went through our processes in detail in line with the requirements of JCI, effectively improving our standard operating procedures (SOPs) and work processes,” he said.
The JCI accreditation, he added, has taught them the principles of safe practice, the importance of documentation, of standard process and procedures, of soliciting feedback and capturing incidents and near misses to improve their practice and ensure the safety of patients and staff. “This is a learning journey and we seek to continuously improve,” he said.
With the priority being its patients in mind, he said that ultimately, the goal is the well-being of patients.
At the heart of providing professional care plus state-of-the-art tertiary cardiac care services all under one roof, greater awareness on cardiac health among the community is also integral to the centre’s establishment.
Gleneagles JPMC has partnered with the Health Promotion Centre of the MOH over the last few years to advocate the importance of heart health and adopting healthy lifestyles in general through the Workplace and Health (WAH) and Happy Environment and Active Living (HEAL) programmes.
As part of their corporate social responsibility, Gleneagles JPMC also actively donates to charities and non-governmental organisations such as An-Nur Harapan, SMARTER, KACA, Learning Ladders, Pusat Ehsan and YASKA.
Looking ahead as they reach the milestone of two decades of operations in Brunei, the CEO shared the possibility of expanding the centre’s footprint.
“Recently, we have experienced capacity issues with increased patient load and clinical volumes. One possibility is to have a new, purpose-built tertiary cardiac centre,” he said.
Although no rigid plans have been made yet, he said it is definitely in their long-term plan.
Founded in 1992, Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC) became the first hospital in Brunei Darussalam to receive the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation in 2014 and was re-accredited for the second time in 2017. JPMC maintained its accreditation in 2020 and was awarded its third JCI award by demonstrating continuous compliance with its internationally recognised criteria.
As a private specialist hospital, JPMC offers a spectrum of services including general, specialised and surgical healthcare with a team of highly qualified and committed multidisciplinary medical professionals using state-of-the-art technology. JPMC also offers 29 clinical specialties and sub-specialties, including endocrinology, gynaecology, nephrology, orthopaedics, paediatrics and implantology.
In December 2021, JPMC held a soft launch for its new outpatient clinic at the OneCity Shopping Centre. The clinic’s links with JPMC will enable fast and convenient access to JPMC’s specialty services and ambulance service if required, in addition to offering the first accessible hearing-impaired clinical services in the country.
With a strong tradition of working to improve the outcomes of patients through integrated clinical practice, innovation, cutting-edge research and new models of care, JPMC strives to continuously adapt to new medical challenges while providing top-notch patient care.
The Pantai Jerudong Specialist Centre (PJSC) is a healthcare specialist centre consisting of three centres: The Brunei Cancer Centre; Brunei Neuroscience Stroke and Rehabilitation Centre; and Maxillofacial, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Centre.
PJSC dedicates its resources to providing comprehensive check-ups, consultations and treating patients with cancer, stroke and other neurological problems with the latest technology evidence based treatment, healthy sporting lifestyle advice and rehabilitation programmes. In addition to cancer and neuro-rehabilitation, PJSC also provides comprehensive rehabilitative programmes for musculoskeletal/sports, orthopedics and women’s health.
In January 2020, the centre signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Southern TOHOKU Hospital Group (STHG) of Japan to enhance its healthcare services, in line with its vision of becoming a leading and innovative specialised medical centre especially in the field of cancer and its treatment.
Established in 2009, the Brunei Cancer Centre (TBCC) is dedicated to cancer diagnosis, treatment, education and research. It houses five departments: Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Palliative Care, Nuclear Medicine and Early Detection and Cancer Prevention Services.
The Medical Oncology Department offers treatment including chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy. In recent years, the department has provided a personalised treatment approach through molecular genotyping of tumour to deliver the most appropriate treatment for patients.
The establishment of Radiation Oncology in 2016 and Nuclear Medicine in 2017 at PJSC has enabled patients to receive radiotherapy and radionuclide imaging/therapy locally. Apart from conventional radiotherapy, stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic body radiation therapy, the Radiation Oncology Department recently incorporated transperineal prostate biopsy to detect early prostate cancer and brachytherapy treatment.
Early Detection and Cancer Prevention Services were established in 2019. The department offers education, risk-assessment, cancer screening including genetic testing, and counselling on early detection of cancer and prevention strategies.
TBCC became a member of the Union for International Cancer Control in 2020, joining forces with other nations in reducing global cancer burden.
The Brunei Neuroscience Stroke and Rehabilitation Centre (BNSRC) provides treatment for diseases of the nervous system including stroke, epilepsy, diseases of the spine and spinal cord, neurodegenerative disorders as well as extensive rehabilitative services. BNSRC was established in 2010 as a highly specialised stroke facility by JPMC in partnership with a centre in Germany. From 2016, it has established state-of-the-art premises within the PJSC.
Since November 5, 2018, BNSRC has merged with the Divisions of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Rehabilitation (Rehabilitation) under the Ministry of Health to provide specialised treatment to a wider range of neurological and rehabilitative conditions apart from stroke. In 2019, BNSRC had 1,257 admissions and saw over 24,000 outpatients.
The comprehensive acute stroke services on offer include stroke thrombolysis and thrombectomy, neuro-intensive care, neurosurgical services and access to neuroradiology and multidisciplinary stroke rehabilitation.
The centre offers treatment for other acute conditions such as meningitis, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome as well as chronic conditions such as headaches, migraine, epilepsy, myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Neurosurgical treatments on offer include spinal surgery, vascular disorders as well as treatment of brain and spinal tumours. Rehabilitative services include brain and spinal cord injury, amputee rehabilitation, cancer rehabilitation, women’s health and musculoskeletal and sports rehabilitation.
The Maxillofacial, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Centre (MFPRSC) offers services in the field of maxillofacial, facial plastic, reconstructive surgery, and head and neck surgical oncology. It also offers outpatient care, surgical and laser treatments, craniomaxillofacial prosthetics and reconstructive implantology services.
With its C6 Medlite Laser, the centre offers treatment for face rejuvenation, pigmentation, tattoo removal and hair removal. Meanwhile, its VBeam Pulse Dyed Laser treats scars, angiomas, AV malformation and port wine stains.
In addition to housing a 3D printing laboratory, the centre also offers training courses such as the Advanced Training in Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Trauma. Other courses include the Advanced Diploma in Neuro/Plastic/Cranio- Maxillofacial/Microvascular Surgical Nursing and Diploma for Operation Theatre Assistants, Nursing Student Affiliation, and Training. Internships are also available for medical, dental and nursing students.
Copyright 2019 Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2019 All rights reserved.
