I fully welcome the good news from Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad and Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari about a finalised site for a public hospital for Petaling Jaya.
With public hopes high, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Selangor state government must act decisively so that this commitment is honoured and executed.
Rezone the land and specify it as a ‘Tapak Hospital’ under ‘Zon Institusi dan Kemudahan Awam (Institutional and Public Facilities Zone)’
Older PJ residents will recall Kontena Nasional Berhad’s land being discussed as a potential site. According to PJ MP Lee Chean Chung, the Kontena land and PKNS Kelana Jaya were identified as potential sites in May 2025 and dropped a year later.
As Klang Valley land costs continue climbing, early preparation of financing mechanisms and rezoning processes helps mitigate the final acquisition price being too expensive for MOH and triggering the need to identify another site.
To avoid a “rinse and repeat”, land administration matters must be quickly negotiated and executed so that the project is fully locked in.
Institutionalise fiscal commitment through Budget 2027 and the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13)
While the health minister stated that financing is possible outside RMK13’s framework, institutionalised fiscal commitment helps specify and measure deliverables. There are 3 upcoming critical moments:
First, MOH must secure Budget 2027 allocation for land acquisition and preparation, such as plan approvals, infrastructure capacity assessment, and establishing project management leadership with meaningful health care worker (HCW) representation.
Next, the work funded by Budget 2027 must see the project included in RMK13’s nearest Rolling Plan cycle (likely RP3 in 2028).
The third key moment to ensure project progress is the RMK Mid-Term Review (expected in Q3 2028).
These touchpoints are critical because RMK inclusion doesn’t guarantee project fulfilment. For example, the National Rugby Stadium was listed in RMK12. In 2023, land acquisition failed and the funds were returned to the Ministry of Finance (MOF). The stadium was not listed in RMK13. Although it may get a second life in RMK13’s RP2 cycle, the national rugby stadium is a cautionary tale.
Implement interim public health care capacity solutions
Establishing a hospital may take upwards of three to five years. Meanwhile, PJ residents still need urgent and affordable health care.
During the November 2024 Selangor state legislative assembly sitting, I proposed that the state government add Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) to the list of health care institutions offering the state’s RM10,000 hospitalisation benefit for acute and chronic diseases – to which Public Health exco Jamaliah Jamaluddin said that talks were ongoing.
Considering UMMC’s price hike exercise in January 2025 and the impact of global uncertainty on medicine and health care equipment prices, these discussions should be accelerated to provide relief to PJ residents.
No space for austerity in public health care
Malaysia’s health care system is bleeding manpower. The solutions are there – they’ve been raised and debated through years of stakeholder town halls, thinktank recommendations, and collective action by NGOs, parties like Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), and Hartal Doktor Kontrak.
Patriotism won’t pay the bills or match the extent of HCWs’ daily physical, mental and emotional labour. At some point, excessive reliance on sacrifice risks normalising exploitation.
As a PJ elected representative, I’m fully committed to helping where I can, to ensure this project becomes reality. Yes, policy change and execution meet cost-related speed bumps.
But health care must remain a public good: undisturbed by austerity and protected from profiteering.
If we don’t shed the austerity mindset or show willpower to address understaffing, fair pay, overwork, or congestion, a new public hospital for PJ may still struggle to meet residents’ health care needs.
The author is Kampung Tunku state assemblywoman.
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
