Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the hospital currently operates as a district facility with a bed occupancy rate of around 55 percent. Its lack of specialist services has meant many patients are referred to Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) and Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI).

“With the new building, the number of beds will increase by 110, bringing total capacity to 230,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here today. Also present was Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

“It will also feature modern critical care facilities, including an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), operating theatres, and Computed Topography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning units,” he added.

Dzulkefly said the upgrade is expected to ease congestion at HSA and HSI and complement plans for Hospital Sultanah Aminah 2 in Skudai.

Separately, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan said the RM400 million project is in a fast-track phase to accelerate construction. The development will comprise four main blocks comprising an emergency block, main hospital block, parking block and staff quarters.

“Within a few months, we expect to issue the Letter of Acceptance (LOA) to the successful contractor,” he said.