ALOR SETAR: More Anjung Kasih visitor shelters will be set up at hospitals for families of patients to stay.
Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Hannah Yeoh said the facilities will enable family members who live far away to stay while waiting for patients to recover.
“While it may just be basic, at the very least, they will be comfortable staying here because all facilities are provided,” she told reporters after officiating Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah’s Anjung Kasih centre.
“Currently there are 12 Anjung Kasih centres all over Malaysia but more are being planned. There are four more Anjung Kasih Centres that are currently being built in Melaka, Johor Baru, Sandakan and Seberang Jaya.
“We also encourage more corporations to help support this project. Currently, companies such as Petronas and TNB have been helping us in this project,” she said.
The facility at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah has dorms for males with 24 beds in each dorm and 11 family rooms with three beds in each room.
The deposit for an overnight stay is RM20 for individuals in the dorm and RM30 for a family room.
She said the Anjung Kasih centres ere being built in older general hospitals with a high volume of patients.
“Modern hospitals already have this type of centres. So we want to focus on the older hospitals to help families of patients who are visiting from far to stay.
“The Anjung Kasih also comes with a counselling room to help families deal with traumatic events,” she said.
The Finance Ministry has set aside RM992,948 for the Anjung Kasih facility at Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah.