Johns Hopkins tipped to enter Malaysia

The world-renowned teaching and research institution might be involved in healthcare in partnership with a Malaysian-listed company, sources say
The world-renowned teaching and research institution Johns Hopkins may make its way into Malaysia in a big way.

Sources said that Johns Hopkins might be involved in the healthcare field in partnership with a local listed company.

Information of its exact field of involvement remained sketchy, but sources said that a piece of land in Selangor had been identified for the development of a medical city.

Business Times understands that the investment in this initiative could be to the tune of RM1.8 billion. The government on its part may provide a tenth of the funds required for this project.

Industry players said locations in Serdang, Kajang, Balakong, Cyberjaya, or even Putrajaya would make sense as there are at least three government hospitals in the vicinity which can be used as a teaching hospital: Serdang Hospital, Hospital Putrajaya and Hospital Kajang.

Johns Hopkins did not reply to e-mailed questions.

According to sources, the site may include both a hospital and a medical university, but it is unclear if it will include other major medical players.

There are Johns Hopkins University campuses in China, Singapore, Italy and the US.

In Malaysia, Johns Hopkins has already partnered Sitt Tatt Bhd (STB).

STB, which plans to change its name to Turiya Bhd, bought a stake in the US-based Amcare Labs International, which provides pathology and laboratory medicine services and operates medical testing facilities.

Amcare, which wants to make Malaysia the regional hub for testing, is an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine International and Johns Hopkins Medical Laboratories.

STB executive chairman Tan Sri Dr Mohan Swami declined to comment when asked if the group was involved in a new and bigger tie-up with Johns Hopkins.

Calls to the director-general of the Ministry of Health, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, went unanswered.

In Singapore, the Johns Hopkins Singapore International Medical Centre was established in collaboration with National Healthcare Group (NHG), the first major expansion of the Johns Hopkins mission beyond Baltimore, Maryland.

The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore is a private, not-for-profit institution governed by a Board of Trustees.

Similarly, the Johns Hopkins Hospital is a non-profit entity.

The Selangor State Development Corp (PKNS) issued a statement yesterday saying that it was in the final stages of planning a healthcare city in the state.

It said the development would span 486ha and be located close to a prominent public university. It would house those in the field of medicine, provide cutting-edge medical and health facilities as well as training, and rope in global players in pharmaceutical and health-related industries.

Efforts are being made to bring in world-renowned medical research foundations and hospitals through smart partnerships, the statement said.

"PKNS is the first state development agency to initiate a private-public collaboration of a healthcare development of such magnitude," PKNS general manager Othman Omar said.

Othman, when contacted to ask if this was the same site where Johns Hopkins might be located, said he was unable to reveal more information.

By Shahriman Johari and Vasantha Ganesan