KPWKM Plans Three More YKN Anjung Kasih Facilities At Hospitals This Year

GEORGE TOWN, May 13 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) plans to expand the Yayasan Kebajikan Negara (YKN) Anjung Kasih facilities to three more hospitals this year.

Deputy Minister Lim Hui Ying said the new facilities are planned for Segamat in Johor, Kuala Terengganu and Penang.

She said the temporary accommodation facilities are designed for low-income families who need to stay near government hospitals while accompanying relatives undergoing treatment.

“Anjung Kasih, a YKN initiative under KPWKM in collaboration with the Health Ministry, allows family members to remain close to their loved ones without being burdened by high accommodation costs, while also easing emotional and financial stress.

“This facility helps families from outside the area save between RM100 and RM150 a day that would otherwise be spent on nearby hotels,” she said after visiting the YKN Anjung Kasih facility at Penang Hospital today.

Also present were YKN chief executive Nordina Haron and Penang Hospital director Dr  Goh Hin Kwang.

Lim said 19 YKN Anjung Kasih facilities are currently operating nationwide through partnerships between the government and corporate contributors, including Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Sunway Group, Petronas and Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad.

Although every state has had at least one YKN Anjung Kasih facility since 2023, she said many hospitals outside state capitals were still requesting similar services, hence calling on more corporations to support the initiative through corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes so more families could benefit in the future.

Meanwhile, Nordina said each YKN Anjung Kasih facility costs between RM1 million and RM1.5 million to establish, depending on the building size, and more than 30,000 family members of patients have used the facilities nationwide since 2008.

She said the facility was designed to provide a safe, comfortable and quality environment for families who live far from hospitals and cannot afford hotels or rented rooms.

For 57-year-old housewife from Lunas, Kedah, Rashimah Aboo Hassan, the facility at Penang Hospital has become a home for her for the past 49 days while her youngest son, 20-year-old Muhammad Amzar Mohd Nazaidi, undergoes treatment for leukaemia.

“If I had to travel home every day, it would be far and very costly because my house is about 40 kilometres from the hospital. At Anjung Kasih, I can shower and rest. Without it, I would probably have to wait in the ward because hotels around here are expensive,” she added.

-- BERNAMA