Gov't looking into need for university hospital at USIM

NILAI - The government has taken note of the need for Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) to set up a university hospital for use as a training facility for its medical students.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he would have to discuss with the university leadership and the Higher Education Ministry before deciding on the matter.

"I need to consider the matter together with the university leadership and the ministry before deciding.

"Medical students in the early stage have to depend on other hospitals but there has to be a plan to build a hospital, as this kind of special training should be given priority. I have taken note,” he said at the 'Program Temu Anwar Negeri Sembilan’ at USIM, here, today.

The prime minister spent two hours with almost 3,000 university and Form Six students to answer various questions and proposals at the dialogue.

Anwar praised the students for showing maturity in their questions and suggestions and said he would discuss the issues with the Cabinet.

He said the government would also study a proposal to have more residential colleges at USIM, as students had said the existing single residential facility could only cater to 20 per cent of the 14,000 students.

Anwar explained that the government also needed to focus on more pressing needs like improving the housing facilities for army and police personnel.

"Next year we will focus on army and police housing facilities which are dilapidated. This problem has dragged on for decades. The government has added a RM2 billion allocation for the Education Ministry to repair schools and rural clinics,” he said. - BERNAMA