Bandar enstek: A new hospital is set to be constructed in Bandar Enstek, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, aimed at addressing the healthcare demands of residents within the Seremban district and mitigating the overcrowding issues currently faced by Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital (HTJ).
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that the proposed facility in the northern Seremban corridor is a response to the area's swift development, which has led to a substantial rise in population. This decision follows the Health Ministry's evaluation of the proposed Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital 2 (HTJ2) project in Rasah, alongside consultations with Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun on June 16.
Dr Dzulkefly explained that the state government has pinpointed two 50-acre parcels of land owned by the Federal Lands Commissioner as potential sites. The Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to assess these locations shortly to identify the most suitable one, preceding an application for land-use conversion to the Department of the Director General of Lands and Mines.
In a written parliamentary response available on the Dewan Rakyat website, Dr Dzulkefly addressed a query from Cha Kee Chin (PH-Rasah) about updates on the HTJ2 project. He stated that, once land-use conversion is approved, initial project activities would begin immediately. These include tasks such as land surveying, soil investigation, conceptual design preparation, project cost estimation, and a Value Assessment exercise.
Additionally, Dr Dzulkefly mentioned that Aminuddin has consented to allocate 36.748 acres of Federal Reserve land in Bandar Seremban for upcoming healthcare projects. This includes a potential new block for Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital and a Centre of Excellence.
Addressing a question from Suhaizan Kaiat (PH-Pulai) regarding strategies to entice Malaysian medical professionals abroad to return, Dr Dzulkefly highlighted the government's Returning Expert Programme (REP) led by TalentCorp. This initiative offers incentives like income tax exemptions and excise duty waivers on locally manufactured vehicle purchases.
Dr Dzulkefly noted that the highest number of REP applications in the healthcare sector originate from Malaysians in the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Australia, primarily comprised of medical specialists and doctors. On the topic of recruiting foreign healthcare workers, he clarified that foreign doctors and nurses have been permitted to work in Malaysia under strict regulation by the Malaysian Medical Council and the Malaysian Nursing Board to maintain healthcare service standards.
He added that the MOH currently employs non-citizen medical specialists in areas requiring critical services and also engages non-citizen graduate medical officers who are permanent residents or married to Malaysian citizens for housemanship training at ministry facilities. However, the potential recruitment of foreign nurses is still under consideration with relevant ministries and agencies.