Sarawak Energy and Roche Pharmaceuticals partner to enhance breast cancer care in Sarawak

KUCHING, 17 March 2025 - Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the ‘Empower HER’ Innovative Funding Model programme. This initiative adopts a stakeholder-inclusive co-funding approach to improve access to timely and innovative cancer care, ensuring nancially challenged patients receive prompt treatment in public hospitals. 

The MoU signing was witnessed by YB Datuk Amar Professor Dr. Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier for Sarawak and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government. Sarawak Energy was represented by its Group Chief Executive Ofcer, Datuk Haji Sharbini Suhaili, while Roche Pharmaceuticals Malaysia was represented by its General Manager, Deepti Saraf. 

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among Malaysian women. The Malaysian National Cancer Registry Report (2017–2021) found that 49.5% of cases were diagnosed at stages one and two.1 

By adopting a collaborative funding approach, the ‘Empower HER’ programme aims to ease nancial costs and ensure equitable, timely and sustainable access to innovative neoadjuvant standard-of-care treatments for early-stage HER2 positive breast cancer patients. An initial group of 10 patients from lower M40 and B40 income groups will receive this fully funded cancer treatment at public hospitals in Sarawak. 

For many in the public sector, particularly those from lower-income groups, nancial constraints and complex funding processes often delay access to life-saving treatment, even when diagnosed early. This partnership seeks to address these challenges by ensuring patients receive timely and appropriate care, complete their pre-surgical treatment and improve their chances of recovery. 

“Sarawak Energy remains committed to contributing to initiatives that enhance healthcare services across Sarawak. Through our social investment efforts, we have supported various medical initiatives and community health programmes that focus on accessible healthcare, early disease detection and medical education for local communities,” said Datuk Haji Sharbini Suhaili in his welcoming speech at the MoU signing ceremony. 

Under the ’Empower HER’ programme, breast cancer patients in Sarawak will benet from this fund, reinforcing the company’s commitment to community development and healthcare accessibility. Sarawak Energy has supported healthcare accessibility through initiatives such as a collaboration with the ROSE Foundation to provide free cervical cancer screenings for 101 people in the Baleh community in August 2024 and cataract screening programmes benetting 229 people since 2017. 

“Sarawak Energy’s projects have contributed to socio-economic development by improving infrastructure and access to medical facilities in remote communities. We see the potential for this model to evolve into a scalable and sustainable ring-fenced fund, creating lasting benets for the people of Sarawak,” said Sharbini. 

“We are committed to strengthening access to timely and effective cancer treatment in Sarawak. Empower HER ensures that women patients receive the care they need when they need it, removing barriers that often delays access to treatments. Roche has also partnered with Sarawak General Hospital to launch three First-in-Human trials, enabling access and building capabilities for our healthcare ecosystem in Sarawak. We believe such public private partnerships are a critical success factor to building a more inclusive and sustainable healthcare system - one that puts patients rst and delivers meaningful, long-term impact,” said Deepti Saraf, General Manager of Roche Malaysia." 

"Every effort to improve access to effective treatment has the potential to change a patient’s journey. As healthcare providers, we see rsthand the challenges many women face in receiving timely care. Initiatives like Empower HER ensure that more patients, regardless of their circumstances, can receive the treatment they need, giving them a real chance at recovery and a better quality of life," said Dr. Ngian Hie Ung, Director of Sarawak General Hospital. 

The ‘Empower HER’ programme lays the foundation for future healthcare initiatives to enhance the overall quality of life for more Sarawakians and drive long-term impact, contributing to a stronger, more sustainable healthcare ecosystem in Sarawak. 

About Sarawak Energy 

Sarawak Energy Berhad (Sarawak Energy) is an energy development company and a vertically integrated electricity utility with a vision to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for Sarawak by meeting the region's need for reliable, renewable energy. With a multidisciplinary workforce comprising more than 6,000 employees, Sarawak Energy serves 790,000 customers and a population of nearly 3 million across the state. 

Building on a strong foundation of 100 years as an effective utility company, Sarawak Energy is taking bold steps to support the transformation of Sarawak in its vision to become a developed state by the year 2030. In line with our broader roles and responsibilities, Sarawak Energy has embarked on a massive transformation journey since 2010, to advance from a traditional utility company into a modern and agile corporation. For more information, visit

About Roche

Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people’s lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, as well as growing capabilities in the area of data-driven medical insights help Roche deliver truly personalised healthcare. Roche is working with partners across the healthcare sector to provide the best care for each person.

Roche is the world’s largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. In recent years, Roche has invested in genomic profiling and real-world data partnerships and has become an industry-leading partner for medical Insights.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the twelfth consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2020 employed more than 100,000 people worldwide. In 2020, Roche invested CHF 12.2 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 58.3 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit

Roche has been present in Malaysia since 1972, when the sales and distribution of products was managed by a third party distributor. Since then, Roche has established its operations to include Roche (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., the pharmaceutical business; Roche Diagnostics (M) Sdn. Bhd., the diagnostics business and Roche Services (Asia Pacific) Sdn. Bhd. (also referred to as Roche Services & Solutions APAC). With a total staff strength of over 1,200, Roche has grown into one of the leading healthcare companies in Malaysia that provides holistic healthcare solutions to healthcare practitioners and patients. For more information, please visit

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