MARA Hospital feasibility study expected to be completed within three months, paving the way for approval processes and preliminary implementation planning
KUALA LUMPUR: The feasibility study for the proposed MARA Hospital is expected to be completed within three months,, after which pre-implementation work, including obtaining the necessary approvals, can begin.
Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said MARA had established a special committee comprising experts and professionals, including alumni and internal specialists, to assess the hospital’s feasibility and proposed implementation model.
She said the study would cover healthcare needs and demand, location, capacity and scope of services, professional staffing, costs and financing, as well as legal and regulatory requirements and alignment with MARA’s mandate.
“Establishing a hospital is a complex proposal that requires careful study. The location, bed capacity, areas of specialisation, estimated costs, funding sources and expected operational date are still being examined and have yet to be decided,” she said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
She was responding to Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin), who asked about the strategic rationale for establishing the first MARA Hospital and the status of its planning, including its proposed location, bed capacity, areas of specialisation, development costs, funding sources and expected operational date.
Rubiah said the proposal originated from MARA’s management, with support from its alumni, in conjunction with the agency’s 60th anniversary, taking into account its longstanding education ecosystem in healthcare and medicine.
One of the proposed directions is to develop the hospital as an integrated healthcare hub combining treatment services, clinical training, specialist development, applied research and Bumiputera healthcare entrepreneurship.
She said the hospital could also stimulate the Bumiputera healthcare value chain by creating opportunities for training, careers, research and innovation, as well as developing Bumiputera vendors in pharmaceuticals, medical technology, equipment maintenance, facilities management and logistics.
If implemented, the hospital’s performance indicators would extend beyond patient numbers and financial performance to include graduate placements, specialist development, Bumiputera vendor participation, innovation and benefits to the community.
Rubiah said the feasibility study would also consider MARA’s three main objectives of advancing Bumiputera participation, ownership and control in the socioeconomic sector before any final decision was made.