The proposal to establish a Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) hospital should not be viewed through a racial lens, as it is being developed based on the agency’s growing and increasingly comprehensive healthcare education ecosystem.
Mara chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said thousands of doctors and healthcare professionals had been produced through Mara’s educational institutions and sponsorship programmes since the agency was established more than six decades ago.
He said Mara now has a broad healthcare education ecosystem covering areas such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, medical imaging and psychology.
“UniKL MESTECH in Bangi offers programmes related to health sciences, laboratory studies, environmental health, as well as occupational safety and health.
“UniKL BMI in Gombak offers healthcare engineering programmes, including biomedical engineering maintenance, while UniKL MITEC provides courses in the maintenance of medical and healthcare equipment,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
On Aug 24, Asyraf Wajdi was reported to have announced plans to establish Mara’s first hospital, which would serve not only as a teaching hospital but also as a healthcare centre of excellence and a catalyst for Bumiputera economic development.
He said a special team had already been formed to work on the initiative, with five key justifications identified for its development.
Meanwhile, Asyraf Wajdi said Mara’s Sponsorship Division provides education financing for students pursuing undergraduate studies in medicine and healthcare through to master’s degrees, PhDs and specialist medical training.
He said no fewer than 45,000 individuals had benefited from these programmes and gone on to develop careers in the healthcare sector.
“I will not look back. A special team has been formed and I have entrusted Mara deputy director-general Dr Mahzan to lead it,” he said.
He added that all aspects of the proposed hospital would be carefully assessed, with expertise from specialists in both public and private hospitals to be brought into the process.
“Insya-Allah, every aspect will be studied and the views of experts will be brought together, including specialists from various public and private hospitals who have expressed their willingness to contribute, given that they were all former Mara-sponsored students,” he said.
