Charles Santiago
Why are people upset over the Petaling Jaya–Subang–Puchong hospital issue?
For residents in those areas, this is not just another public fuss. When government hospitals are overcrowded, appointments delayed or emergencies happen, many are pushed to hospitals outside the area or to expensive private care.
So, let’s help Selangor find land for a public hospital.
Selangor has at least 11 public hospitals. Yet PJ–Subang–Puchong, among Malaysia’s densest and wealthiest urban corridors, still lacks a dedicated government hospital. Petaling district alone has 2.4 million people – larger than several states.
Before crying “no suitable land”, let’s talk about land productivity. In a Selangor state assembly reply, PKNS reportedly held 4,821 acres of land bank statewide, including 241 acres in Petaling district alone.
If a major urban public hospital needs only 15–40 acres, the public deserves transparency on how strategic land is being prioritised.
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‘Suitable land’?
What exactly is “suitable land” for a hospital? It has to have reliable water and energy access, flood-risk avoidance, strong infrastructure, accessibility and expansion potential.
These sound oddly familiar – because they are also core requirements for data centres.
Selangor currently has 39 data centres, with more under construction or in the pipeline. Some single hyper-scale campuses in Selangor already exceed 100 acres.
For perspective, a major urban public hospital needs only 15–40 acres. Is this a “suitable land” issue, or a question of state priority?
‘Public interest’?
The Selangor menteri besar of Selangor has cited “suitable land” as the challenge. On Threads in May, he elaborated: a previously identified site had fallen through due to high costs, a Kota Damansara site was deemed too far, and the search for an alternative continues.
But urban land in Selangor has always been difficult. Malaysia’s Land Acquisition Act 1960 exists precisely because governments sometimes need to assemble difficult land for projects deemed in the public interest.
Tellingly, when a netizen asked why data centres were quickly approved while hospitals faced delays, the menteri besar replied that data centre owners bought land directly from private landowners.
This raises the real question: what projects does the state consider important enough to make land “suitable”? A public hospital arguably has more locational flexibility than a hyper-scale data centre.
If there is urgency in rapidly building data centre infrastructure, why is there no urgency to build accessible and affordable public healthcare?
Charles Santiago is the former MP for Klang.
The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.
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