Health Ministry and UTAR collaborate to build new hospital in Kampar

IPOH: The Health Ministry will collaborate with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman ( UTAR) to build a new hospital in Kampar through the National Blue Ocean Strategy ( NBOS) approach, said its deputy minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya.

However, he said, the overall cost of the new hospital to be located at Taman Kampar Putra here had yet to be finalised and further discussions on the matter between the two parties were still ongoing. It will replace the existing one in Kampar’s Old Town .

“( Initially) UTAR plans to build a teaching hospital on a 40-hectare site that has been approved in 2012, about four kilometres from the new hospital’s location. It is better to collaborate to build one new hospital besides sharing the facilities and expertise and save costs,” he said.

Dr Hilmi was speaking to reporters after presenting Excellence Service Awards to 324 staff of Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, Ipoh here yesterday.

He was asked to comment on the statement by Kampar member of Parliament Dr Ko Chung Sen recently claiming that the proposed construction of the new hospital in Kampar was cancelled after the government viewed the high costs of land reclamation on the former mining area.

Ko had claimed he received a written reply from Health Minister Datuk Seri S Subramaniam on July 25 on the status of the hospital construction and could not accept the reason given as condominiums and apartments were being built in the area near the construction site without any problem. — Bernama