PETALING JAYA (Jan 11): Sunway Group plans to launch a tertiary medical centre as well as a shopping mall in the 1,350-acre integrated Sunway City Ipoh township by 2025.

According to a statement on Jan 10 (Monday), the RM350 million medical centre — known as Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh — will have 200 beds and it will open in 2024 to cater for the city’s growing population and serve the increased demand for tertiary medical care through a comprehensive cancer centre by focusing on women’s health and wellness lifestyle medicine.

Leveraging Sunway City Ipoh’s ecosystem as an integrated resort township that includes hospitality, theme park, education, commercial and residential components, the strategic location of the medical centre would also propel the city’s status as a medical tourism hub.

Also in the pipeline is a shopping mall with a net lettable area of 700,000 sq ft and 2,700 parking bays. This development is designed with two things in mind — to blend in with Tambun’s natural setting and introduce the best retail experience into the heart of Perak. The mall will further complement the existing developments in Sunway City Ipoh with a retail component that features international brands and F&B outlets to offer all the best food Ipoh has to offer, ultimately attracting locals and out-of-towners.

Sunway is also looking to expand Jalan Tambun, which is expected to ease traffic congestion and increase accessibility to the eastern development corridor of Ipoh. This RM16 million expansion is the latest in a series of collaborations jointly undertaken by Sunway and the Perak state government since the early 2000s to spur the city’s economy.

Its founder and chairman Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah said: "Perak’s biggest export is neither pomelo nor white coffee, but human talent. By providing a thriving ecosystem through an integrated township like Sunway City Ipoh, we can start reversing this trend and attract the best and brightest to make Ipoh their home. We aim to attract travellers to stop by the township and enjoy the amenities and facilities Sunway has to offer.”

So far, the developer had worked alongside the relevant state agencies to deliver the flyover on Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah Utara, the transformation of Jalan Tambun from a narrow two-lane single carriage-way to a wide four-lane road traversing Sunway City Ipoh, as well as the construction of slip roads linking the North-South Expressway to Jalan Tambun, of which Sunway is the sole contributor of funds from the private sector.

This latest initiative is part of the group’s RM2 billion investment in Sunway City Ipoh over the next few years, which will benefit not just the local community and visitors to Sunway City Ipoh, but will also cater for the growing needs of the entire eastern development corridor of Ipoh.