Aminuddin urges quick start to Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital 2 construction
The Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar expressed hope that the construction would be carried out under Budget 2026, as the city desperately needed another hospital due to a surge in population.
He added that there should be no reason for the project to be held up, as the 13.2ha area allocated for the hospital belonged to the federal government.
"It is my hope there will be no delays, such as for land acquisition, as the land already belongs to the government. It will be good if construction can start next year," he said.
Aminuddin added that the new hospital, which would have a minimum of 400 beds, will be located behind the government medical assistants' college and the Seremban health clinic along Jalan Rasah near here.
"This modern hospital will also have specialist services now unavailable at the main Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital," he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting on Wednesday (August 13).
When tabling the five-year 13MP on Aug 1, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the hospital, named Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital 2, was part of the government's plans to build new health facilities and upgrade present ones.
An estimated RM40bil would be allocated for the purpose under the plan.
Separately, Aminuddin urged the federal government to revisit a plan to build a teaching hospital at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (Usim) in Nilai, which was announced under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
"I understand that Usim had also reserved land for the hospital, but to date, it has not materialised.
"A government hospital in Nilai will serve people as far as Mantin, Salak and other nearby towns such as Sepang across the border in Selangor," he said, appealing to the Higher Education Ministry to look into the matter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
4 hours ago
- Daily Express
Tawau hospital to be heart care referral centre
Published on: Saturday, August 16, 2025 Published on: Sat, Aug 16, 2025 By: Lagatah Toyos Text Size: Dr Dzulkefly being briefed about the newly launched pharmacy counter. TAWAU: Tawau Hospital will become the referral centre for heart patients from Sabah's east coast once its Invasive Cardiac Laboratory (ICL) project is implemented soon, the first such facility in the region. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the site and infrastructure for the equipment had been identified and he hoped it could be supplied without delay. 'The tender will be issued within the next month or two,' he told reporters after inspecting progress on the ICL during his visit to Tawau Hospital on Thursday. Earlier, he launched the hospital's Pharmacy Park & Take service, aimed at reducing waiting times and easing access for senior citizens, while helping to ease congestion at pharmacy counters. Dr Dzulkefly said the ICL would enable treatment times for heart attack patients to be reduced to under 90 minutes for primary PCI procedures. The lab will offer diagnostic procedures such as coronary angiography, right and left heart catheterisation, interventional treatment and related services. Previously, critical heart patients from the east coast had to be referred to treatment centres as far as Kota Kinabalu, causing delays and higher risks. The new facility is expected to save both time and costs by avoiding long-distance transfers. Dr Dzulkefly also opened the upgraded Maternal and Child Health (MCH) building at Merotai Besar Health Clinic, featuring larger consultation rooms, a safer and more mother-friendly delivery room and improved facilities for children. He also launched a Mobile Pharmacy initiative by an NGO to deliver medicines directly to patients' homes using motorcycles. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will increase manpower and conduct urgent infrastructure repairs at Lahad Datu Hospital to improve service delivery and patient safety. Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the hospital, classified as a minor specialist facility with 13 areas of expertise, needs additional staff to meet operational demands. 'We have identified 13 medical officers for the first phase of deployment, with seven more to follow in the second phase,' he said according to Bernama. Dr Dzulkefly highlighted critical upgrades, including overdue repairs to the Labour Ward, scheduled under Rolling Plan 1 of the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP). 'I have personally observed structural cracks in the Labour Ward that have persisted for years. This is a safety issue that cannot be compromised,' he said. He added that outdated facilities will also be refurbished as a priority.
Focus Malaysia
16 hours ago
- Focus Malaysia
Living, not working, longer
THE question of whether Malaysia should increase its retirement age is not new, but it has gained renewed attention following the government's proposal under the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13) to gradually raise the official retirement age. This is in response to longer life expectancy and economic pressures and the logic seems simple: if we live longer, shouldn't we work longer too? From a psychological perspective, the answer depends on more than just economics. Retirement is not merely a financial decision; it is a deeply personal transition that affects identity, purpose, and mental well-being. As a psychologist, I believe that whether working longer is 'better' depends not only on health and economics, but also on the quality of work and how it aligns with the principles of cognitive psychology and positive psychology. Cognitive psychology teaches us that the brain thrives on stimulation. Just like muscles, our cognitive abilities stay sharper when regularly exercised. Work that involves decision-making, problem-solving, and meaningful social interaction can help preserve memory, focus, and mental agility well into later life. The opposite is also true; monotonous, highly stressful, or physically exhausting work can diminish mental well-being and accelerate burnout. Malaysian data backs this up. Findings from the Malaysia Ageing & Retirement Survey (MARS) show that 1 in 5 Malaysians aged 60 and above are still working, and that occupational engagement is linked to better cognitive scores in numeracy and verbal fluency. Notably, cognitively stimulating work appears to offer the greatest benefits, while physically stressful or low-control jobs may have the opposite effect, raising the risk of both physical and mental decline. A separate MARS analysis of over 5,500 adults revealed that a strong sense of purpose in life, a core concept in positive psychology, is independently associated with better memory, verbal fluency, and overall cognitive performance. This relationship holds true for both men and women, whether employed or retired, and is only partly explained by lifestyle or social factors. In other words, roles that preserve purpose whether through paid work, mentoring, volunteering, or community leadership may help sustain brain health as we age. But here is the cautionary note: the benefits of working longer depend heavily on the nature of the work. The landmark Whitehall Studies in the UK, which tracked thousands of civil servants over decades, found that those in lower-grade, lower-control jobs had significantly higher rates of heart disease, depression, and premature death, even though all participants had the same access to healthcare. Whitehall I showed that men in the lowest grades faced up to three times the mortality risk of those in the highest grades. Whitehall II expanded the scope to include women and revealed that low job control, lack of social support, and chronic work-related stress were strong predictors of poor health outcomes. The lesson for Malaysia is clear: extending working life without addressing job quality could harm, rather than help, older workers—especially those in high-demand, low-control roles. It's not enough to raise the retirement age; we must ensure that later-life jobs are designed to promote health, autonomy, and engagement. Positive psychology provides a framework for doing this. It emphasises three elements that keep people thriving: mastery, meaning, and connection. For some, working longer in a job they enjoy and excel at can be energising and fulfilling. For others, especially those whose jobs have become physically or mentally taxing, flexible pathways into less intense but still purposeful roles may be far more sustainable. These could include consultancy work, part-time roles, mentoring younger employees, or transitioning into community-based projects. We also have to recognise that ageing is not one-size-fits-all. A 65-year-old may be running marathons or recovering from major surgery. Some individuals may wish to continue contributing through work, while others may prefer to focus on family, health, or personal pursuits. This diversity means that the effects of later-life employment can differ significantly from one person to another. Ultimately, the question of whether to raise the retirement age in Malaysia involves multiple considerations, including health, job quality, personal preferences, and economic factors. Evidence suggests that the impact of working longer can vary widely depending on individual circumstances and the nature of the work. Any approach to this issue would need to account for the diversity of ageing experiences and the complex relationship between employment, well-being, and purpose in later life. ‒ Aug 15, 2025 Associate Prof Dr Haslina Muhamad is an Associate Professor at the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti Malaya. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: HR Asia
The Star
a day ago
- The Star
Boys outnumber girls as local birth rate declines
PETALING JAYA: Fewer babies are being born in Malaysia, but they still arrive at a pace of one every minute, with boys outnumbering girls with a ratio of 108 males for every 100 females, based on the latest demographic data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). Chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin (pic) said the number of live births took a dive of 7.1% to 93,435 births in the second quarter of 2025, compared to 100,558 births during the same period last year. Male babies outnumbered female babies with 48,444 births as compared to 44,991 births, he said, as DOSM released statistics yesterday on live births, deaths and population in the second quarter of 2025. 'In terms of states, Selangor recorded the highest live births with 17,605 births (18.8%), while Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan recorded the lowest with 274 births (0.3%). 'Mothers aged 30 to 39 recorded the highest live births with 48,503 births (51.9%), followed by mothers aged 20-29 years (40.8%), 40 years and over (5.6%) and less than 20 years (1.6%), he said in a statement. In terms of ethnicity, Malays contributed 68.7% (64,187 births) of the total live births, while the share of Chinese and Indians decreased to 8.1% and 3.8%, respectively. For other bumiputra groups in Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, there was a slight increase of 12.9% compared to 12.6% during the same period. Although total deaths recorded a decline of 3% in the second quarter with 48,408 deaths compared to 49,906 deaths in the same period last year, more men were dying, with a ratio of 133 males per 100 females, Mohd Uzir said. 'The number of deaths recorded for males were 27,607 and 20,801 deaths for females. Selangor recorded the highest number of deaths with 7,820 deaths (16.2%), while Labuan recorded the lowest with 68 deaths (0.1%). 'Those aged 60 years and above had the highest number of deaths with 34,165 deaths (70.6%), followed by the 41 to 59 age group (20.1%), 15-40 (7.3%) and 0-14 (2.0%),' he said. Mohd Uzir added that despite the decrease in the number of live births in the second quarter, Malaysia's total population was estimated at 34.2 million, compared to 34.1 million in the same period last year, with a slower growth of 0.5% compared to 1.9%. He said that in order to achieve the 1.1% population growth outlined in the 13th Malaysia Plan, Malaysia must increase its population by approximately 400,000 annually. 'The male population increased to 18 million from 17.9 million a year ago, while the female population increased to 16.3 million from 16.2 million. 'The older population (65 and over) increased from 7.6% to 8.0% in the second quarter of 2025, while the younger population (0-14) recorded a decrease from 22.2% to 21.6%,' he added. He said birth rates and total fertility rates have been declining globally in recent years, posing major challenges to demographic structure, economic growth and social balance at the global and national levels.
