Make it compulsory for new hospitals to have 'Anjung Kasih' facility: Shahrizat

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Welfare Foundation (YKN) has urged the Health Ministry to make it compulsory for new hospitals to have an 'Anjung Kasih' or temporary shelter for patients' family.

YKN Board of Trustees chairman Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (pix) said such a facility is necessary to help ease the burden and reduce the daily expenditure of families caring for their loved ones at hospitals.

"I have urged the Health Minister (Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam) and the parties involved to set up this facility when new hospitals are built and today YKN is urging the government to include the Anjung Kasih in the Standard Operating Procedure.

"It is to provide convenience to families who cannot afford to pay for accommodation for long periods. Imagine if you have siblings or children who are sick and require treatment for a long period, not everyone can afford to stay in a hotel throughout that period," she said after visiting the Anjung Kasih occupants at the Selayang Hospital here, today.

The Anjung Kasih at the Selayang Hospital is a pilot project under YKN to help ease the burden of family members taking care of their loved ones and help reduce problems of overcrowding in wards.
Since its inception in 2008, a total of 2,308 people have benefited from the temporary shelter provided, with priority given to next-of-kin who are staying far from the Klang Valley and those who cannot afford to spend the extra money on lodgings.

Anjung Kasih which provides accommodation is equipped with beds, fans, bathrooms, prayer room, wash room and laundry area as well as a cafeteria.

To date there are eight Anjung Kasih in selected hospitals nationwide, including the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital in Kuantan and Miri Hospital in Sarawak while six more would be built, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu and Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star.

During her visit, Shahrizat also presented Aidilfitri hampers to Anjung Kasih residents as well as Selayang Hospital staff. — Bernama