MARA chairman Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki is apparently baffled as to why the establishment of MARA Hospital idea which he recently mooted has been linked to racism by certain segments of the public and online groups.
His contention is that “after 60 years with thousands of doctors born and a complete health education ecosystem in place, this idea has been developed for the benefit of all”.
Editor’s Note: Asyraf first unveiled his brainchild on Aug 24 as a natural extension of MARA’s mandate to develop Bumiputra human capital, entrepreneurship and strategic ownership.
“After decades of producing doctors, nurses, pharmacists and healthcare professionals, it’s time for MARA not only to produce professionals for the healthcare industry but also to build and own an institution where they can serve, conduct research and ultimately lead the industry,” he had penned in a Facebook post back then.
In his latest FB post yesterday (Sept 1), the UMNO secretary-general went on to list down nine key points on what he meant by as complete MARA health-related education ecosystem:
- MARA has UniKL Royal College of Medical Perak which definitely requires a training hospital. UniKL offers courses in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, medical imaging and psychology.
- UniKL MESTECH in Bangi offers fields related to health sciences, laboratory, environmental health and occupational safety and health.
- UniKL BMI in Gombak offers engineering programmes related to health such as biomedical engineering maintenance.
- UniKL MITEC offers courses in medical and health equipment maintenance.
- UniKL MFI offers engineering technology courses related to air conditioning systems which are much needed in the health sector.
- Kolej Poly-Tech MARA (KPTM) Kota Bharu offers a nursing diploma programme.
- Kolej Kemahiran Tinggi MARA (KKTM) (now TVETMARA) Ledang offers a Bio-Medical Electronics engineering programme (diagnostic, therapeutic, radiology & imaging and laboratory & ICT) which produces trained personnel in maintaining medical machines and equipment such as X-Tray machines, dialysis machines, etc.
- KKTM Sri Gading offers building maintenance programnes including building technology for hospitals.
- KKTM Lenggong offers training programmes in the field of herbal medicine and alternative medicine.
“Yes, I’ll never look back again. A special team has been formed and I’ve entrusted the MARA deputy director-general Dr Mahzan Teh to lead it,” enthused Asyraf who assumed MARA chairmanship on March 10, 2023 by succeeding Datuk Seri Azizah Mohd Dun.
“God willing, all aspects will be examined and the views of experts will be gathered, including those from specialist doctors from various public and private hospitals who have expressed their willingness to help since they’re former MARA sponsored children themselves. This is the time to repay MARA’s services.”
Asyraf’s high-spirited call for action was well-received across his community with many rallying behind him as evident from the 18K likes, 3K comments and 471 shares that his post has amassed at the time of writing.
Draining taxpayers’ money
With regard to Asyraf’s allegations of racism, however, it is ununderstood that critics have argued that building a dedicated MARA hospital is an institutional move centered on racial lines given MARA’s core mandate to assist the Bumiputera community.
This then leads to the resource allocation aspect with the general concern that amid budget constraints faced by numerous public hospital and clinics, focus should instead be placed on improving existing public healthcare infrastructure under the Health Ministry (MOH) instead of having to fund a new initiative from scratch.
A check on The Star FB post which ran Asyraf’s mooting of the MARA Hospital on Aug 24 revealed that the chief concern revolves around ‘funding scarcity’ and practicality rather than being racist-oriented.
“Hope (you) don’t use taxpayer money to build or bail out the hospital when in trouble,” asserted a commenter. “Set up as an independent hospital just like other private hospital. Would like to watch how you can manage the hospital without government assistance.”
Another pointed to the languishing MARA Digital Mall with the main branch in Kuala Lumpur suffering from minimal visitors compared to major tech hubs like Low Yat Plaza while outlets outside of the Federal capital, including those in Kuantan and Johor Bahru, have shut down due to poor sales.
“A thief was caught stealing a mobile phone in a mall at Bukit Bintang. He was praised by his own kind and the government established a MARA mall to serve them,” recounted a commenter.
“Eventually it closed down faster than a bullet train. Now some smart individuals came out with a MARA hospital. Don’t know what’s next?”
Others wondered if the MARA Hospital idea can just be an extension of the existing UiTM (Universiti Teknologi MARA) Hospital to possibly save cost.
For the record, the tertiary institution has one main dedicated teaching hospital in Malaysia, namely Hospital Al-Sultan Abdullah (HASA) alongside a specialised medical centre at its Sungai Buloh campus.
But the more popular assumption – which sadly is not unfounded based on numerous past lessons – is that some quarters will be profiteering from the hospital project. – Sept 2, 2026
