The proposed Amrita Charitable Hospital is the brainchild of India’s hugging saint, Mata Amritanandamayi, fondly known as Amma.
She had set up a 1,450-bed hospital in Kerala in 1998 and is now building another hospital in New Delhi with 2,000 beds.
Amma has made several trips to Malaysia as part of her regular world trips and had attracted hundreds of people who waited hours to get a hug from her.
The hospitals fall under the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, which is founded by Amma, a renowned humanitarian and spiritual leader with a large following in Malaysia.
Pertubuhan Penganut Mata Amritanandamayi Malaysia trustee and secretary-general K Kalidas said the early plans for the first Amrita Hospital in Malaysia include a 250-station free dialysis centre, 150 intensive care unit beds and another 100 regular beds.
Speaking to FMT, he said the cost of treatment would be on a sliding scale, where patients are to pay what they can afford, usually a small percentage of the overall medical cost.
“Our hospital would not be for profit. We will check the patients’ backgrounds. And if they are in a lot of hardship, then the treatment would be free.
“The hospital will benefit the people in the northern region, providing 2,000 jobs to the locals in the healthcare sector,” he said.
Kalidas said the new Amrita Hospital will draw expertise from its namesake hospital in Kochi, India, which has provided advanced medical care to the poor and disadvantaged since 1998.
He said the Indian hospital was now a tertiary referral and teaching hospital which had served more than 10 million patients and close to 100,000 inpatients yearly.
Kalidas said in view of the pandemic, the new hospital is also considering including a unit for viral diseases, in preparation for another Covid-19-like pandemic in the future.
“Our bigger focus is to boost the local economy, with local contractors and small-time businessmen to benefit from the construction of the hospital.
“We are a spiritual organisation wanting to help people in need, especially at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has spread vastly,” he said.
As for the location of the hospital, a few spots are being considered in the South Seberang Perai district on mainland Penang, he said. He said south Kedah and north Perak are also being considered.
Kalidas said 20ha of land would be used for the hospital complex with space for a vocational training centre, catering to 1,000 students. There will also be space for future development.
A top China-based architectural firm, which is an expert in building hospitals, has come out with the plans for the project, he said. If the relevant approvals are obtained quickly, he expects the hospital to be completed in two years and ready for operation in 2025.