Amirudin gives irresponsible response to healthcare needs

 

YOURSAY | ’Based on his explanations, this is definitely incompetence.’

S'gor MB cites lack of land for PJ Hospital, gets brickbats

Koel: Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has given an irresponsible response to a most urgent concern about healthcare.

Selangor is the most populous state with a correspondingly high ageing population.

Malaysia has been cited by international rapporteurs for failing in its healthcare due to the rapidly growing statistics of an ageing population.

Now we have the menteri besar declaring they have no money to take care of the healthcare needs of the state as a whole. This is worse. Shame on this state government and its assemblypersons.

So, the wealthiest state in the country, the state that has people paying among the highest assessment rates in the country, is too stingy to provide adequate healthcare for its citizens.

The truth seems to be that the state government does not care. Go around Petaling Jaya (PJ), Subang Jaya and Subang.

There is an incredible number of private hospitals to serve the moneyed. Where do those without incomes go?

Even the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) is no longer accessible, given the exorbitant amounts charged for procedures and medical necessities.

So Amirudin, what are you telling ratepayers from whom you are happy to squeeze out every last bit of their assessment fees?

That they should quietly die in their beds if they cannot afford the many private hospitals you have given land to in all these areas?

PinkJaguar7289: The “no suitable land” excuse is hard for ordinary people to swallow. In PJ, Subang and Puchong, private medical centres, high-rise projects, data centres, and commercial developments seem to find land without much difficulty.

These are not poor rural areas; they are high-density, high-revenue urban zones where local councils collect huge rates from residents and businesses.

So, the real question is not only whether there is land, but whose needs are being prioritised when land becomes available.

If land can be assembled for corporate healthcare and developers, why is it suddenly impossible when the rakyat need a proper government hospital?

The menteri besar should not sound like he is protecting the comfort zone of private medical and property elites while taxpayers are told to travel far for public healthcare.

PurpleJaguar0553: An efficient administration should contemplate the needs of the people in the state with a five-year plan that is reviewed every year.

Not plan on an ad hoc basis or only when issues crop up. Similar to countries worldwide, cities are the new centres for finance, economy, and politics.

Almost 30 percent of the country’s population is in the Klang Valley.

It's then not difficult to say what its needs are.

If private developers can afford to buy land, why can't a government, which has significantly more resources, do so?

There is plenty of land around UMMC that can be used to build a hospital. This land either belongs to Universiti Malaya or the government, so acquisition is not an issue.

Most land in PJ's old town is leasehold with leases expiring soon.

These can be the subject of land acquisition and would not cost much, considering the soon-expiring lease.

Amirudin simply fails to prioritise projects based on the key elements of basic public needs such as public housing, healthcare, education, and transportation.

Everything else can be left to the private sector.

Nada Villa: Instead of repeatedly saying PJ has no land for a hospital, why not seriously evaluate converting the Petaling Jaya City Hall (MBPJ) civic complex into an urban medical centre?

The area already has excellent connectivity, infrastructure, and government-linked occupancy.

Frankly, parts of the large civic complex today appear underutilised and largely serve administrative functions for a limited group of users, when the wider public desperately needs accessible healthcare facilities.

Many cities worldwide have successfully repurposed government buildings into hospitals, specialist clinics, and community health hubs.

PJ’s ageing and dense population deserves better long-term planning than simply citing land scarcity while strategic public assets remain under-optimised.

GP2025: Based on his explanations, this is definitely incompetence.

The PJ-Subang area definitely needs a hospital, as the UMMC is overworked and overutilised. So much so, they have raised the fees by more than 100 percent.

A hospital here will definitely swing a lot of votes to the government that can provide it.

Coward: Instead of beating the dead horse, which is state government only facilitates land issues, and funding is the federal government's problem, why not just help them out financially as well?

PJ is one of the richest areas in the country, and Selangor is one of the richest states, if not the richest, yet the state government and local councils won't even help with funding?

The land situation in Kuala Lumpur is as bad as, if not worse than PJ.

But if they can find land for public utilities, including new hospitals, why can't PJ? - Mkini