Bayan Baru: Bayan Baru Member of Parliament Sim Tze Tzin has submitted an official application to Health Minister Datuk Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad for a government hospital to be established in the parliamentary constituency. He delivered the request during Dzulkefly’s visit to the Bayan Baru Health Clinic yesterday.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the request is based on several factors, including the area’s high population density of 389,608 people, predominantly from the B40 group and factory workers. The current hospitals, Penang Hospital and Balik Pulau Hospital, are 19 km and 17 km away, respectively. This distance poses challenges for patients, particularly the elderly and chronically ill, in accessing timely treatment.

Sim highlighted the growing elderly population in the Barat Daya district and Bayan Baru area, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive and accessible public health facilities. Although the health minister accepted the application, he noted a significant constraint-the availability of at least a 10-acre site required for the hospital project in the Bayan Baru area.

Dzulkefly suggested that the state government assist in identifying and providing a suitable location for the project. Sim expressed appreciation for the minister’s openness and commitment to the proposal and urged the state government to collaborate in realizing the hospital’s construction.

Sim also commended the extension of operating hours at the Bayan Baru Health Clinic, noting that it alleviates patient congestion during peak times and reduces the burden on Penang Hospital.