NEGRI SEMBILAN URGES FEDERAL GOVT TO RECONSIDER BUILDING HPUSIM IN NILAI INSTEAD

SEREMBAN, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- The Negeri Sembilan government has requested the Federal government to reconsider building the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (HPUSIM) Teaching Hospital closer to the university.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said it would be more appropriate to build the hospital in Nilai since USIM is based there and the university has already identified a project site following several previous applications.

“HPUSIM has been approved for construction in Kota Tinggi, Johor, but we are appealing for the Federal government to re-evaluate this decision because Johor is too far from USIM. The hospital would benefit not only USIM but also the teaching staff in the medical field.

“The state government would welcome HPUSIM to be built either in Nilai or Johor. What really matters is that USIM needs a hospital so that the surrounding community can benefit more. This is crucial to improve teaching and learning, and it would spare the teaching medical staff from having to travel long distances,” he said after chairing the state executive councillors’ meeting here today.

Kota Tinggi MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin previously stated that the HPUSIM project in Mukim Sedili has the potential to be a major catalyst or ‘game changer’ for development in the Kota Tinggi parliamentary constituency.

Mohamed Khaled, who is also the Minister of Defence, said the project is currently in the planning and scrutiny stage, including cost determination and selection of an appropriate contractor.

-- BERNAMA