The Health Ministry is prioritising upgrades to existing hospitals to meet rising demand, says minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
KUALA PILAH: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is focusing on efforts to upgrade existing healthcare facilities, including hospitals, nationwide to meet the increasing demand for health services, said its Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said the approach was taken since many public hospitals currently operate at nearly 100% capacity, thus requiring facility expansion, including the construction of an additional block.
“The addition of this new block will provide added value to the quality of services, especially in several areas of specialisation. We want to emphasise healthcare and well-being that focus on care and the early detection of diseases.
“At the same time, the development of facilities at the secondary and tertiary healthcare levels will continue to be strengthened… so, our focus is not on new hospitals but more towards upgrading existing hospitals,” he said after officiating the handing-over of an additional block of the Tuanku Ampuan Najihah Hospital (HTAN), which was also attended by Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan here today.
Dzulkefly said the ministry is also focusing on the construction of three new hospitals: the Petra Jaya Hospital in Sarawak, which is expected to be completed this year; the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) 2 in Johor Bahru (at the tender process); and the Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital 2 in this state (Negeri Sembilan), which has just been approved for site acquisition.
Meanwhile, he said the additional block at HTAN, costing RM153.4 million, was built on a 4.18-hectare site, with site ownership on March 10, adding that it was fully completed under the design-and-build method and the Certificate of Practical Completion (CPC) was issued yesterday (April 27).
According to him, the additional six-storey block, known as Block B, not only adds another 132 beds in the normal wards and 12 in the intensive care units (ICUs), but also increases HTAN’s total capacity to 458 beds, along with six new operating theatres.
“Block B houses Malaysia’s first Emergency and Trauma Department, which was designed holistically with negative-pressure isolation facilities. Continuity of care from the emergency department to the isolation ward can now be carried out via a dedicated lift.
“This is a measure to future-proof our facilities to face the challenges of post-pandemic infectious diseases, while ensuring the safety of healthcare workers,” he said.
He said that with the new facilities, specialist services can also be expanded to include Sports Medicine, the Pink Ribbon Clinic for breast cancer, as well as colorectal, urology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.
He added that cochlear implant (ENT) surgical services and disaster management facilities are also provided, thereby demonstrating the MOH’s commitment to bringing specialist services closer to the public.
“To support the operation of Block B, the government has approved 1,308 new positions, effective Feb 1 this year,” he said.
