IPOH: A hospital for military veterans valued at more than RM500 million will be built here, says Defence Minsiter Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.
He said the hospital to be built on a 28,500 square meter land belonging to the Armed Forces at Gua Permai Camp in Tambun, would serve as a “health village” for military veterans.
The facility, he said, would among others come with specialists in geriatric and urology, as well as rehabilition services and a dialysis centre.
“The hospital will be built using the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) with the BP Healthcare Group (BPHG).
"This is to ensure that the veterans get the kind of quality health services you see in similar facilities in developed countries including the United States, Britain and Australia.
“The hospital will be opened to members of the military as well as the public, depending on the need and situation,” he said during a visit to the proposed site and a session with the Camp 23 Royal Malay Regiment, here.
Present were Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir dan the Armed Forces chief Jeneral Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor.
Hishammuddin said the ministry was also planning on building five more polyclinics, ini Kluang, Seberang Takir, Kuantan, Sungai Petani and Kuching, with the first to be constructed in the near future at the Penrissen camp in Kuching.
He said at the time the government would also upgrade the existing military hospitals to become five-start facilities.
Earlier in his speech, Hishammuddin said the ministry would strive to double the quota for military veterans to perform the haj from the current 400 it had last year, adding that he was optimistic of this considering the healthy relations Malaysia and Saudi Arabia enjoyed.
He added that the special quota also involved the police and would not in any way affect the public’s quota.