KUALA LUMPUR : Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today said he wants to see the 143-year-old Kuala Lumpur Hospital become a world renowned premier facility.
The current upgrading works, which was approved under the 2012 Budget and cost RM300 million, were part of an overall transformation of the hospital's facilities, infrastructure, and services.
 
He said this during a speech during a working visit and launch of the hospital's Specialist Clinic Ambulatory Care Centre (SCACC).
 
Najib, who admitted to have been the hospital's patient twice, envisioned the hospital to become better than what is now. He said such a transformation of a age old  facility was possible as evident with the successful upgrading works of the old Puduraya bus terminal.
 
"Now people say the new bus terminal is better than some airports in the world."
 
Najib also urged all public services staff, including those at the hospital to adopt this concept of transformation and become their own agent of transformation for their respective field.
 
In tandem with the physical upgradings of the hospital, Najib said the 9,500 staff needed to ensure the facility was user friendly.
 
He said when he approved the special RM300 million budget for HKL, he insisted for there to be a multi storey carpark set up to facilitate patients and staff, as finding parking spots were a perennial problem there.

The Works Ministery is expected to complete the overall upgrading works by January 2015. However, Najib urged for most of it to be completed earlier.

Later, Najib met with patients, visited wards and other facilities before officially launching the hospital's new Specialist Clinic Ambulatory Care Centre (SCACC).

Also present were Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Works Minister Datuk Seri Shaziman Mansor and Najib's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

source:NST