State health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon hoped the new hospital would become a reality after it was not listed in the 2023 budget presented at the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 7.

He said the bed occupancy rate at the two main hospitals in Johor Bahru, namely HSA and Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI), had exceeded 80% and this made it difficult for them to accommodate patients.

“We need a new hospital given the density at these hospitals.

“As such, I hope the new government and health minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa will help us realise this HSA2 project,” he told reporters outside the state assembly here today.

“I was informed there were several reasons why the construction of the hospital was not included in the budget, one of which was the location of the proposed site near a squatter area.

“However, the state government is proposing another location for the construction of the new hospital,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ling said the construction of Hospital Pasir Gudang was going smoothly and the hospital was expected to be fully completed in 2024.

On Aug 12, former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that Hospital Pasir Gudang was expected to be fully completed in November 2024, while the HSA2 project was expected to be officially announced in the 2023 budget.

Khairy said the additional two hospitals would help ease congestion at HSA and HSI.