Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital (HSB) was built in August 2000, finished in March 2007, and started full operations on July 29, 2007. It is located about 6 km from Alor Setar city center and covers 28.33 hectares of land. The hospital cost RM 552 million to build and consists of four main buildings: one for medical support services, one for non-medical support, the main hospital building, and the ward block where patients stay.
HSB operates in two locations: the new Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital and the older Alor Setar Hospital (HAS).
Medical Services & Facilities
At first, the hospital offered 10 main medical specialties and 28 subspecialties. Over time, it expanded to 17 main specialties and 45 subspecialties, including heart care, kidney treatment, surgery, and more. The hospital also has an advanced IT system to manage patient records, which was fully implemented in 2008. This system was later introduced at HAS in 2018.
HSB plays an important role as a referral hospital, helping 12 health clinics in Kota Setar and Pendang, 8 hospitals in Kedah, Perlis, and Penang, and 11 private hospitals.
HAS is mainly used for treating inpatients with medical conditions such as infectious diseases, surgeries, orthopedics (bone and joint issues), lung diseases, and psychiatric care. In 2020, rehabilitation and palliative care wards were also added to HAS. One advantage of HAS is that it has many empty wards that can be used in case of emergencies or disasters.
By 2020, HSB had 41 wards, including 5 critical care units, with a total of 1,108 beds (910 at HSB, 198 at HAS). The hospital has 18 operating theaters and 12 delivery rooms for childbirth. A new Daycare Treatment Center was planned to open in 2021 at HAS after upgrading one of its buildings.
HSB also offers Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM), including acupuncture and traditional massage for stroke and chronic pain patients. This service has been available at HAS since 2010.