In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 18 August 1965
- Birthplace
- Sarawak, Malaysia
- Country
- Malaysia
- Nationality
- Malaysian
- Known for
- Combining a cardiology career with leadership of SUPP and Sarawak’s public-health portfolio
- Full name
- Sim Kui Hian
- Profession
- Cardiologist
- Party office
- SUPP President, since 2014
- State seat
- Batu Kawah, since 2016
- State office
- Deputy Premier of Sarawak, since 2022
Why this life matters
Sim’s career connects medical institution-building with the revival of a long-established Sarawak party and the multi-party structure of GPS.
Timeline
Key moments
Born in Sarawak
Born in Sarawak and later completed medical training at Monash University in Australia.
Trained as a cardiologist
Graduated in medicine and completed specialist cardiology training at Monash Medical Centre.
Helped build Sarawak’s cardiac service
Returned to Sarawak and became the inaugural head of cardiology at Sarawak General Hospital and later its clinical research centre.
Entered electoral politics
Contested Pending for SUPP but lost during a difficult state election for the party.
Became SUPP president and a senator
Took over the party leadership while serving in the Dewan Negara.
Won Batu Kawah and entered the cabinet
Captured the state constituency and became Sarawak’s minister responsible for local government.
Helped establish GPS
SUPP joined PBB, PRS and PDP in leaving Barisan Nasional and forming Gabungan Parti Sarawak.
Became deputy premier
Joined Sarawak’s senior leadership while retaining responsibility for public health, housing and local government.
A medical career shaped by Sarawak’s needs
Sim Kui Hian was born in Sarawak in 1965 and studied medicine at Monash University. He completed cardiology training in Melbourne and built a professional reputation in clinical practice, research and specialist medical organisations.
He returned to Sarawak as the state was developing its own specialist cardiac service. Sim became the inaugural head of cardiology at Sarawak General Hospital in 2001 and the inaugural head of its clinical research centre in 2003, linking patient care with research and professional training.
From cardiology to SUPP leadership
Sim’s first state-election campaign ended in defeat in Pending in 2011. The result came during a period when SUPP, one of Sarawak’s oldest parties, was losing urban support and debating how to rebuild after major electoral setbacks.
He became a senator and was elected SUPP president in 2014. That role made him responsible for both organisational renewal and the party’s place inside Sarawak’s governing coalition, while his medical background continued to shape his public identity.
Winning Batu Kawah and entering government
Sim won Batu Kawah in 2016, defeating the DAP-held seat’s incumbent party in a three-cornered contest. He entered Adenan Satem’s cabinet as minister of local government and later held the combined local-government and housing portfolio under Abang Johari Openg.
The victory gave SUPP’s president an elected base in the state assembly. Sim retained Batu Kawah with a larger majority in 2021, strengthening his position within both the party and the GPS government.
GPS and the deputy premiership
After the 2018 federal election, SUPP joined three other Sarawak parties in leaving Barisan Nasional and forming GPS. Sim became one of the new coalition’s senior figures while SUPP remained its principal Chinese-led component.
In January 2022 he became a deputy premier and minister for public health, housing and local government. Health remains largely a federal responsibility, so his portfolio also involves state advocacy, coordination and efforts to expand Sarawak’s role in service delivery.
Why Sim Kui Hian matters
Sim’s biography is unusual because his medical and political careers are both institution-centred. He helped develop a specialist heart service before taking responsibility for local government, housing and public-health coordination at the state level.
His leadership also helps explain how GPS balances its component parties. SUPP is smaller than PBB but gives the coalition historical continuity, an urban organisation and representation across communities within a distinctly Sarawak political structure.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Sim Kui Hian
- Who is Sim Kui Hian?
- Sim Kui Hian is a deputy Premier of Sarawak and President of SUPP. Sim’s career connects medical institution-building with the revival of a long-established Sarawak party and the multi-party structure of GPS.
- What is Sim Kui Hian best known for?
- Sim Kui Hian is best known for combining a cardiology career with leadership of SUPP and Sarawak’s public-health portfolio.
- When and where was Sim Kui Hian born?
- Sim Kui Hian was born on 18 August 1965 in Sarawak, Malaysia.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Office of the Premier of SarawakMinisters of the Sarawak Government
- 2. European Society of CardiologyProfessional biography of Professor Sim Kui Hian
- 3. mStar / BERNAMACardiologist elected as new SUPP president
- 4. The Borneo PostSUPP victory in Batu Kawah, 2016
- 5. Sarawak Government GazetteSarawak cabinet portfolio assignments
- 6. Wikimedia CommonsSim Kui Hian portrait and CC BY 2.0 record
