page_title: Raj of Sarawak
section_title: Healthcare
hierarchical_section_title: Raj of Sarawak / Society / Healthcare
caption_attribution_description: English: Sarawak General Hospital as seen from main entrance between 1900 to 1930
context_page_description: The Raj of Sarawak, also State of Sarawak, was an independent state, and later a British protectorate, located in the northwestern part of the island of Borneo. It was established as an independent state from a series of land concessions acquired by an Englishman, James Brooke, from the Sultanate of Brunei. Sarawak received recognition as an independent state from the United States in 1850, and from the United Kingdom in 1864.
  Following recognition, Brooke expanded the Raj's territory at the expense of Brunei. Several major rebellions occurred against his rule, causing him to be plagued by debt incurred in countering the rebellions, and the sluggish economic situation at the time. His nephew, Charles Brooke, succeeded James and normalised the situation by improving the economy, reducing government debts and establishing public infrastructure. In 1888, the Raj acquired protectorate status from the British Government.
  To gear up economic growth, the second Rajah encouraged the migration of Chinese workers from China and Singapore to work in the agricultural fields.
context_section_description: The first doctor was appointed shortly after James Brooke was proclaimed the Rajah. Kuching Hospital services existed in the 1800s but no records were available. The earliest record of the Kuching hospital (now Sarawak General Hospital) was available in 1910 where it was admitting 920 patients that year. In 1925, a leprosy settlement was constructed in Kuching. Rajah Charles Brooke Memorial Hospital was also constructed to treat leprosy patients. In 1931, a facility to treat mental illness was constructed beside the Kuching Hospital. In Sibu, the construction of Lau King Howe Hospital (now Lau King Howe Hospital Memorial Museum) was completed in 1936. In 1935, there were six doctors serving the needs of the senior government servants. State Health Office (known as Medical Headquarters) was located at the Kuching Pavilion building from 1909 to 1947. There was only one assistant dental officer before the Japanese occupation. Charles Vyner Brooke had been persuading doctors from the Straits Settlements to serve in Sarawak but the response had been cold. The medical service continued under the Japanese occupation. There is little records regarding the development of dentistry in the 1900s. Several accounts from the elderly people stated that there were traditional healers and roadside tooth-pullers performing palliative treatments at that time. The first government dentist was appointed in July 1925 at Kuching General Hospital. In 1932, "Sarawak Government Registration of Dentist Ordinance" was introduced. A total of 15 dentists were registered before the Japanese occupation.
caption: The Kuching General Hospital between 1900 and 1930
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