Cost shouldn’t be main factor in hospital site selection, says PJ MP

PETALING JAYA: Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung says cost considerations should not be the main factor in deciding where to build a public hospital in the city.

While Petaling Jaya still lacks its own public hospital despite repeated requests from residents over the years, Lee said, the state government should consider alternative mechanisms such as a land swap if acquiring land in the area is cost-prohibitive.

“The reality is that suitable land to develop a hospital in Petaling Jaya is becoming increasingly limited.

“(But) at the same time, the lives and wellbeing of the people cannot be measured purely based on cost considerations,” he said in a statement.

The Petaling Jaya parliamentary constituency is one of the densest urban areas in the country, with a population of 362,290 according to the 2020 census.

At present, residents in Petaling Jaya rely on nearby government hospitals, including Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Shah Alam Hospital, Sungai Buloh Hospital and Sultan Idris Shah Hospital in Serdang, all located outside the city’s administrative area.

Lee said this has placed increasing pressure on existing healthcare facilities, including government clinics, amid rising population density and demand for services.

Last week, Selangor Bersatu Youth questioned the state government’s inability to secure land for a government hospital to serve the residents of Petaling Jaya, Subang, and Puchong, which have a combined population of about 1.2 million.

Selangor Bersatu Youth chief Na’im Brundage said that under the Land Acquisition Act 1960, the Selangor government has the authority to acquire privately owned land for public interest purposes such as constructing hospitals, schools, and police stations.

He was responding to a Threads post in which Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari said the state government and the health ministry were “looking for suitable land” in Petaling Jaya for a public hospital to serve the residents of Petaling Jaya, Subang and Puchong.

المصدر: Free Malaysia Today