KPJ Healthcare Berhad

Perlis to get two new private hospitals

Two private hospitals are being built in the state in Kuala Perlis and Pengkalan Assam.

TWO private hospitals are being built in the state in Kuala Perlis and Pengkalan Assam. State Health, Public Infrastructure and Amenities Committee chairman Jafperi Othman said this in reply to Khaw Hock Kong (BN-Titi Tinggi) yesterday. Jafperi said the government was aware of the growing need for more hospitals, besides Tuanku Fauziah Hospital here, in order to provide better medical services to the state's growing population. The hospital being built in Pengkalan Assam is the 900-bed eight-storey Perlis Specialist Centre, which costs about RM30 million and is expected to be completed by 2015. It is a joint venture between the Perlis Islamic Foundation and KPJ Healthcare Bhd (KPJ). The other 200-bed hospital being built in Kuala Perlis will be ready by next year. Meanwhile, Bernama quoted Menteri Besar Azlan Man as telling the house that only four of the 10 Perlis State Economic Development Corporation's subsidiaries and joint venture companies had suffered losses. They are Perlis Property Sdn Bhd which suffered losses of RM21.205, Putra Palace Sdn Bhd (RM1,157,855), Perlis NCER Trading Sdn Bhd (RM48.192) and Perlis Marine Engineering Sdn Bhd (RM1,799,642). Azlan said among the main reasons for the losses were a lack of projects following the decline in government allocations and private investment, the implementation of minimum wage and the increase in employers' contributions to workers which had caused the increase in their overall costs of operation, besides tough competition. To overcome the problems and ensure its other subsidiaries would not suffer the same condition, the corporation, together with the management of the companies, had taken aggressive measures to secure projects or jobs, he said in reply to Ismail Kassim (BN-Tambun Tulang).