PJ MP urges govt not to drop proposed public hospital site over cost concerns

 

Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung has urged the government not to abandon a proposed site for a public hospital in his constituency solely due to concerns over land costs.

In a statement today, the PKR lawmaker said the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) had identified either Kontena Nasional Berhad’s land or the Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor Sports Complex in Kelana Jaya as potential hospital sites in July last year.

However, he said an officer informed the district planning technical committee during a meeting last Thursday that authorities would no longer proceed with the Kontena Nasional site along Old Klang Road following a change in decisions.

According to Lee (above), the Selangor government will instead hold discussions with the state Health Department to identify an alternative location.

"I am of the view that the Kontena Nasional site should not be set aside solely on the grounds of high land costs," he said.

Lee noted that MBPJ’s assessment and scoring system had already factored in cost considerations when identifying the site as among the most suitable locations for a public hospital.

"The fact is that land suitable for hospital development in Petaling Jaya is increasingly limited.

"At the same time, the lives and well-being of the people cannot be judged solely based on cost factors," he commented.

He proposed that the Selangor government begin the process of gazetting the land for hospital development and explore a land swap arrangement to secure the site.

"I am confident that, with clear political determination and putting the interests of the people as a priority, the desire to realise the Petaling Jaya public hospital can be achieved," he added.

He said as of now, Petaling Jaya residents who wish to access public health services must go to Kuala Lumpur, Shah Alam, Sungai Buloh, or Serdang.

Petaling Jaya is one of the densest urban areas in Malaysia, with a population of 362,290 people within the parliamentary constituency itself, according to the 2020 census.

MB’s misplaced priorities

On Thursday, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari courted disapproval while responding to criticism over the lack of public hospitals in Petaling Jaya, Subang, and Puchong.

He said the state government and the Health Ministry are still searching for suitable land for a proposed public hospital in Petaling Jaya, as previously identified sites were either too expensive or too far from the targeted catchment area.

He said the proposed site in Kota Damansara was deemed unsuitable due to distance, while other shortlisted land parcels carried high acquisition costs.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari

The Health Ministry requires at least 2ha of land to build the hospital.

While funds have already been set aside for the project, the Health Ministry considered the available land to be too costly, inflating the overall cost of the project two to three times compared to building a hospital elsewhere.

Despite his explanations, many netizens accused Amirudin of misplaced priorities, with critics citing examples such as a newly opened data centre, plans for new highways, and reports that a property developer has acquired acres of land in Petaling Jaya for a high-rise commercial development.

In response, Amirudin reiterated that the financial decision lies with Putrajaya, whereas the state government is merely facilitating land matters and is helping to search for suitable land. - Mkini