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LANGKAWI – Sultanah Maliha Hospital (HSM), here, will be a major specialist hospital after additional construction – with an allocation of RM515.35 million – is completed by July 2025, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said the hospital would increase its number of beds – to 330 from the current 110 – and staff, from 557 to 1,903.
He said six operation theatres, a multi-storey car park; staff quarters comprising 40 units; medical and non-medical equipment; and information and communication technology would be among the facilities to be provided at the new wing.
“This project had been approved under the third rolling plan of the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) with the letter of acceptance issued on December 16, 2021 and the site ownership effective January 20, 2022.
Khairy said this at the project site’s groundbreaking ceremony, here, today that was officiated by the Sultan of Kedah Al Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah and Sultanah Maliha Tengku Ariff.
Also present were the Raja Muda of Kedah Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Sultan Sallehuddin, Tunku Mahkota Kedah Tunku Shazuddin Ariff Sultan Sallehuddin and Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Khairy said the construction would be in accordance with international specifications, which would enable HSM to be like a private healthcare facility and provide international-standard services.
He hoped that the new facilities, when completed, would be able to further improve public health levels as part of the government’s effort to provide a healthcare delivery system that could meet their needs.
“This additional building project at HSM is also in line with the second theme of the 12MP, ‘Strengthening Security, Well-being and Inclusivity’,” he said.
At a post-officiating ceremony press conference, Khairy said the new building would also have air-conditioning in its third-class wards for the comfort of patients, their visiting family members and staff.
He also announced that a ward for contagious diseases would also be set up in the new wing as Langkawi has migrant communities who could potentially spread such diseases.
Meanwhile, he said his ministry would quickly provide a sea ambulance and sign a memorandum of understanding with the Fire and Rescue Department for a helicopter service soon towards improving the island’s health services.
“Among others, I have approved the establishment of the Paediatric High-Dependency Unit at HSM for young patients needing intensive treatment,” he added.
Khairy also said that the Health Ministry had a long-term plan of establishing a forensic department and a magnetic resonance imaging facility at HSM, as well as a health clinic at Pulau Tuba, near here.
“Currently, there’s only a rural clinic at Pulau Tuba. When we have identified a site for it, we will include it in the rolling plan. I understand that a piece of land belonging to the Fire and Rescue Department could be the site for the health clinic, so we will discuss this with them,” he added. – Bernama, September 12, 2022