LANGKAWI, Sept 12 — Hospital Sultanah Maliha (HSM), here, will be a major specialist hospital after its additional building construction project with an allocation of RM515.35 million is completed by July 2025.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the hospital would have 330 beds from 110 currently and the staff increased to 1,903 from 557, an increase of 1,346.

He said six operation theatres, a multi-storey car park, staff quarters comprising 40 units, medical and non-medical equipment, and information and communication technology would be among the facilities to be provided at the new wing.

"This project had been approved under the third rolling plan of the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) with the letter of acceptance issued on December 16, 2021 and the site ownership effective January 20, 2022.

Khairy said this at the project site’s groundbreaking ceremony, here, today that was officiated by the Sultan of Kedah, Al Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah and Sultanah Maliha Tengku Ariff.

Also present were the Raja Muda of Kedah, Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Sultan Sallehuddin, Tunku Mahkota Kedah, Tunku Shazuddin Ariff Sultan Sallehuddin, and Senior Works Minister, Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Khairy said the building construction would be in accordance with international specifications, which would enable this hospital to be like a private one and providing health services of international standard at the famed resort island.

He hoped that the new facilities when completed, would be able to further improve the people’s health level in the government’s effort of providing a healthcare delivery system that could meet their needs.

"This additional building project at Hospital Sultanah Maliha is also in line with the second theme of the 12MP, ‘Strengthening Security, Wellbeing add Inclusivity’,” he said.

At a post-officiating ceremony press conference, Khairy said the new building would also have air-conditioning for the third-class wards for the comfort of patients, their visiting family members and staff at these wards.

He also announced that a ward for contagious diseases would also be set up at the additional building as Langkawi has migrant communities who could pose a risk of the diseases spreading.

Meanwhile, he said his ministry would quickly provide a sea ambulance and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Malaysia Fire and Rescue Department for a helicopter service soon towards improving the health services on the island.

"Among others, I have approved the establishment of the Paediatric High-Dependency Unit (PHDU) at Hospital Sultanah Maliha for young patients needing intensive treatment,” he added.

Khairy also said that the Health Ministry also had a long-term plan of establishing a forensic department and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility at HSM, as well as a health clinic at Pulau Tuba, near here.

"Currently, there’s only a rural clinic at Pulau Tuba. When we have identified a site for it, we will include it in the rolling plan. I understand that a piece of land belonging to the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) could be the site for the health clinic, so we will discuss this with Jabatan Bomba,” he added. — Bernama