GOVT WILL NOT PRIVATISE NATIONAL HEART INSTITUTE, SAYS MINISTER

By Umi Hani Sharani

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- The government will not privatise the
National Heart Institute (IJN) either in parts or the whole institute itself,
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nor Mohamed Yakcop, said Thursday.

He said this in response to a report that the Economic Planning Unit (EPU)
had consented to the privatisation of IJN.

"The EPU has not given any approval for IJN to be privatised," Nor Mohamed
said when contacted by Bernama Thursday.

"Nothing (proposal) has been sent to us. Even if anyone comes to us with it,
nothing will be privatised, not in parts or in whole," he said.

According to the report, the IJN board of directors has been allowed to
conduct a widespread asset unbundling scheme, a move which could eventually
separate the institute's operational functions and create new subsidiaries.

IJN currently operates in the form of IJN Holdings Sdn Bhd which owns IJN
Hospital. There are also IJN Capital, IJN College and IJN International.
-- BERNAMA