Perak to get two new hospitals

A GOVERNMENT hospital will be built in Bota in Perak Tengah district under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015).

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said the hospital would cost RM120mil.

He said it was one of two new hospitals to be built in the state under the 10th Malaysian Plan. The other one will be in Parit Buntar.

Dr Zambry also said the state had allocated RM189mil to build a central service block for the Taiping Hospital.

Recognition: Dr Zambry signing a plaque to launch Taiping Hospital as the primary teaching hospital for the AUCMS-NUIG-UCC medical degree programme.

“The additional block will house operating rooms, an Intensive Care Unit and a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,” he said on Tuesday after the launch of Taiping Hospital as the primary teaching hospital for the Allianze University College of Medical Sciences (AUCMS)-National University of Galway (NUIG)-University College Cork (UCC) medical degree programme.

Dr Zambry said NUIG and UCC, both Irish universities, had chosen Taiping Hospital after a strict and comprehensive inspection.

“It is an esteemed recognition for us that the hospital was chosen by two renowned medical universities,” he added.

Dr Zambry also said the state government planned to upgrade rural clinics in the state into 1Malaysia clinics.

He said the public response to 1Malaysia clinics had been overwhelming and he wanted villagers in rural areas to benefit from such facilities as well.

Dr Zambry said the upgrading process to improve these clinics with better medical facilities would be done in stages, according to the capacity of the Health Ministry.

He hoped that some of these clinics would be upgraded by year-end, adding that each 1Malaysia clinic cost about RM50,000.