and passion in public service had rubbed-off on his character, and a chance to serve his homeland came when Dr. Sim found out that the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) was attempting to set up a cardiology unit. He soon left his practice and returned in 1998, after spending 17 years in Australia. In 2001, the Cardiology Department of SGH was set up. The department had progressively evolved into a cardiology centre (SGH Heart Centre, which later renamed Sarawak Heart Centre) with its own standalone facilities in Kota Samarahan and a recognised training centre for cardiothoracic surgeons. He started public service with the Ministry of Health Malaysia in 1998 at Grade U2 (equivalent to current Grade U48 today). He climbed public service ranks within the Ministry of Health to Grade JUSA C by age 37, and eventually to JUSA A (age 43) between 2003 and 2009, and after transitioning the leadership at the heart centre, Dr. Sim went on to active politics. His maiden contest for public office was in the 2011 Sarawak Elections which he lost. Five years later, he contested and won in the 2016 Sarawak Elections. Dr. Sim has a special background pertaining to Sarawak-China relations. In 1974, then Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Abdul Razak and Dr Sim's late father, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Sim Kheng Hong (who was with Deputy Chief of Mission Tun Jugah representing Sarawak in the delegation), were among the people who helped establish the foundations of Malaysia-China bilateral relationship. Personal life Dr. Sim is currently married to Datin Sri associate professor Enn Ong since 1991 and they have two sons. Unlike most doctor-turned-politicians who stopped practising medicine, Dr. Sim currently still holds a medical practising license and specialist license, and still makes frequent visits to the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH)'s Sarawak Heart Centre as a visiting senior consultant cardiologist. Having spent over 10 years as the inaugural head at the SGH Department of Cardiology (the third public cardiac centre by the Ministry of Health Malaysia) and subsequently as the inaugural head of its Clinical Research Centre (CRC), Dr. Sim is today the advisor at SGH CRC and advisor at the National Heart Association of Malaysia. He is also a board member of Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), as well as an adjunct professor at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Science, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). He is also a member in the Expert