By Sheeda Fathil
SERDANG, Feb 28 — Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj today inaugurate the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Hospital (HSAAS) of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) here which has been operating since May 15, 2019.
He arrived at the hospital at 10.15am and was greeted by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari and the Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
His Royal Highness said he was happy with the establishment of the hospital, putting UPM in a more significant positions to make meaningful contributions to the country’s health sector.
“I was informed that the hospital management also established the Waqaf Fund and the Patient Welfare Fund as an effort to help the needy receive treatment.
“I believe that Malaysians are caring citizens, loving in nature and have a high level of helpfulness. We must continue to work hard to increase the contribution to this fund to help those in need,” he said.
In the same ceremony, Sultan Sharafuddin agreed to hand over the Ambulance Endowment Fund contribution of RM100,000 by the Ambulance Endowment Management Center and UPM Endowment to HSAAS.
His Royal Highness said that with the availability of various financial resources, the hospital can provide more extensive and inclusive services and not focus on health aspects only.
“I believe that the management of HSAAS will continue to plan strategies and take action to make it a respected hospital and in line with the best university hospitals in the world.
“The expertise possessed will continue to be a reference to other medical practitioners in their respective fields of expertise from within and outside the country,” he said.
Earlier, Sultan Selangor visited the Regional Emergency Stroke Response Unit (RESQ), Department of Radiology and the HSAAS UPM Exhibition Site.
HSAAS, formerly known as the UPM Teaching Hospital, began construction around 2014 covering an area of 95 hectares and was fully completed within six years before being officially handed over to the university on May 15, 2019 to begin its inaugural operation.
The hospital now has a total capacity of 400 beds with a construction cost of RM600 million. The first operation was opened to the public through the Family Medicine Clinic service in October 2019.
The hospital provides four specialties namely stroke services, prostate care, geriatrics and zoonosis.
