PENANG has received a major boost to its public healthcare system, with a local charity contributing RM1mil in equipment and the Federal Government injecting millions for long-term facility upgrades.
One Hope Charity and Welfare recently allocated RM1mil to assist six government hospitals, five district health offices and five district dental health offices in Penang, alongside four government hospitals in Kedah.
Its chairman Datuk Chua Sui Hau said the organisation had channelled over RM100mil to hospitals and needy Malaysians between 2021 and 2025 through public and overseas donations.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who launched the One Hope Charity 2026 programme at Komtar in George Town, praised the contribution, stating that every piece of donated equipment helped save lives and speed up treatment.
He said Health Ministry had allocated RM191.8mil to Penang under the Health Empowerment Fund (2023-2030) to upgrade public healthcare facilities.
The funding covers the redevelopment of Hospital Sungai Bakap, upgrades to rural clinics and development of modern wellness hubs.
Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said that further redevelopment projects were planned for Hospital Kepala Batas and Hospital Bukit Mertajam, with the latter being considered for a more specialised role as a geriatric care centre to prepare for an ageing population.
Addressing concerns that non-governmental organisation donations might reflect a shortfall in public healthcare funding, Gooi clarified that federal allocations had actually risen in recent years to match escalating healthcare costs.
He noted that ensuring accessible and affordable healthcare remained a key concern, given that many of Penang’s hospital beds were in the private sector.
To bridge the gap, about RM10mil was spent last year to refer public hospital patients to private facilities under Health White Paper initiatives.
While Gooi acknowledged that doctor shortages and public-to-private brain drain were constantly being addressed by Health Ministry, he stressed that Penang currently has sufficient hospital beds based on World Health Organisation guidelines.
“Addressing healthcare capacity is not simply a matter of building more hospitals or hiring more doctors,” he said.
“We also need to address the rise in non-communicable diseases and reduce the burden on the system by encouraging healthier lifestyles,” he added.
Present at the event were Penang Health Department director Datuk Dr Fazilah Shaik Allaudin, Kedah Health Depart-ment director Dr Nor Aishah Abu Bakar, One Hope Charity and Welfare adviser Datuk Seri R. Arunasalam and Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran.
