25/04/2025

FRIDAY | APR 25, 2025

16

BIZ & FINANCE

PjH, Sunway Healthcare to develop medical centre in Putrajaya PUTRAJAYA: Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd (PjH) and Sunway Healthcare Holdings Sdn Bhd (SHH) have inked a Heads of Agreement (HoA) to jointly develop an integrated private medical centre in Precinct 7, Putrajaya. abundant open areas,” said Putrajaya Holdings CEO Datuk Izwan Hasli Mohd Ibrahim. Sunway Healthcare Group president Datuk Lau Beng Long said: “We are excited to partner PjH to build a medical centre in our nation’s administrative capital, enabling the Putrajaya community and beyond to access comprehensive and quality private healthcare.

internationally recognised flagship Sunway Medical Centre ranked as the top Malaysian hospital according to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals 2025 rankings. The collaboration is poised to elevate Putrajaya’s position as a centre for quality medical services. It marks a significant step in expanding access to specialised care and enhancing the overall healthcare landscape in the nation’s administrative capital. M’sia positioned to be leader in cybersecurity in Asean: Kaspersky SINGAPORE: Malaysia ranks highly in cybersecurity readiness within Asean, according to global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. Kaspersky’s general manager for Southeast Asia Yeo Siang Tiong said Malaysia has demonstrated strong capabilities in managing and addressing cyber threats, positioning the country to lead the region in this critical field. “My observation is based on several factors. One clear indicator is the Cyber Security Act 2024, which came into effect on August 26 last year. “It identifies critical industries and establishes a regulatory framework for cybersecurity. “The second factor is the country’s capabilities and resources. Malaysia has a large pool of cybersecurity professionals and threat researchers. “Third, there is strong public awareness, with effective outreach programmes led by CyberSecurity Malaysia and the National Cyber Security Agency, which have shown significant progress,” he told Bernama yesterday at GITEX Asia 2025. Yeo said Malaysia is playing an increasingly pivotal role in uniting regional efforts to enhance cybersecurity. “Malaysia is leading the Asean Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA), where cybersecurity is a key foundational pillar. “As cybercriminals know no boundaries, DEFA enables Malaysia to coordinate with other Asean nations to prevent the escalation of cybercrime in the region,” he added. When asked about the upcoming Malaysia Cyber Security Strategy (2025–2030), Yeo outlined four key pillars designed to strengthen national cyber defence. “First is building resilience, not just to withstand attacks but to recover from them. “The second pillar is immunity, where we advocate our concept of ‘cyber immunity.’ “Third is awareness, which remains essential, and lastly, intelligence – focusing on countering cyber threats, including those from organised crime groups targeting critical infrastructure, government, and the supply chain,” he explained. Kaspersky made its debut as the first Cyber Immunity Partner at GITEX Asia 2025, held from April 23 to 25 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. GITEX Asia is part of the GITEX GLOBAL series, the world’s largest technology exhibition and startup showcase.

and Akademi Perubatan Malaysia. The proposed medical centre is expected to house a tertiary hospital with over 300 beds, offering advanced medical services and specialist care, including a burns unit, that cater not only to Putrajaya residents but also to the wider Southern Klang Valley region as well as international patients. “PjH as the master developer provides a lifestyle oasis with our state-of-the-art infrastructure, numerous facilities, and lush and

“The creation of a healthcare ecosystem is just another step to create a more holistic quality of life, everything you need right here in Putrajaya, “This marks a catalytic milestone in Putrajaya’s growth journey, and we are excited to collaborate with a trusted partner like Sunway Healthcare to bring this shared vision to life.

After months of engagement and careful planning, Precinct 7 has been identified as the ideal site, given its strategic location and accessibility, with proximity to the Putrajaya Sentral, and key health institutions like the Putrajaya Hospital, Institut Kanser Negara

“We are honoured that PjH has placed their trust in us and our years of experience in developing integrated healthcare facilities and networks from the ground up, including an

Female entrepreneurs lead 21% of SMEs

o 241,767 businesses run by women form vital part of Malaysian economy

PASIR GUDANG: Foreign direct investment (FDI) remained the primary source of new investment in Johor, accounting for about 80% of the RM23 billion in proposed investments recorded in April. Johor investment, trade, consumer affairs and human resources committee chairman Lee Ting Han said the trend followed a strong first-quarter performance, during which FDI made up nearly 90% of the RM27.4 billion in new KUALA LUMPUR: Women-owned businesses, defined as 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, are on the rise. Micro and small women entrepreneurs (MSWEs) make up 21% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. This translates to about 241,767 women-led businesses (MSWEs) forming a vital part of the country’s economy, where SMEs account for 97.4% of all businesses. While this is encouraging, there is still a notable gender gap as Malaysia aims to achieve a 60% female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) by 2033. The latest female LFPR rose slightly to 56.3%, while the male LFPR stood at 82.9%, highlighting a notable gender gap despite the upward trend in women’s participation. In an effort to bridge the gender gap and uplift MSWEs in Malaysia, self-service laundrette dobiQueen recently organised a panel discussion entitled “Empathy Meets Innovation: How Women Entrepreneurs Utilise Purposeful Technology & Empathetic Leadership to Transform Businesses” with experts from the public and private sector, including TalentCorp’s Wanita MyWira, Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) and Strive Malaysia. A study by Strive Malaysia has revealed that women entrepreneurs face three main challenges. Time poverty ranks tops with 97% citing juggling business, childcare,

investments secured by the state. He said nearly all the investments were located in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), with key sectors including petrochemicals, advanced manufacturing, and data centres. “The main sources of investment in Johor at the moment are certainly Singapore, China and Japan,” Lee told reporters after the completion and commissioning ceremony of the Ferrotec Power Semiconductor and household responsibilities as the biggest challenge. This is deeply rooted in gender norms, as women are often expected to be the primary caregivers in Malaysia’s social, cultural and religious contexts. While over 80% of MSWEs acknowledge the potential advantages of digital literacy, and are able to search for information online via Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, many use it for personal rather than for business purposes. There is a disconnect between digital literacy and entrepreneurial pursuits. Lastly, only 50% of MSWEs expressed confidence in their financial knowledge and skill, limited to basic expenses of tracking income records, with many lacking understanding of broader financial concepts such as dynamic markets or funding applications. Of this, 78% expressed the need for more information from financial institutions in the areas of loan management, grants, and market information. Strive Malaysia programme officer Li Yang Lau said this insightful report has since guided the development of targeted interventions to address the unique needs of women-owned and women-led businesses. “We provide them with easy access to a free self-assessment tool, tailored skill-building training and microlearning resources, and mentorship opportunities, thus

(From left) Natasha, Tan, Teoh and Li.

MyWira head Natasha Alias said in 2024, the Ministry of Human Resources, through TalentCorp, introduced Wanita MyWira to address workforce gaps by enabling more women to participate fully in Malaysia’s economy. “Wanita MyWira supports a broad spectrum of women - from students and returning professionals to entrepreneurs and industry leaders, through strategic advocacy, skills development, and employer engagement. The aim is to create real pathways into meaningful, sustainable employment,” she said. Khazanah Research Institute research associate Dr Teoh Ai Ni said that based on KRI’s gender gap research conducted among 3,300 agrifood smallholders, agrifood production has similar economic importance for both men and women smallholders, but women are more likely to face challenges. Ferrotec Power Semiconductor Malaysia is a subsidiary of China-based Jiangsu Ferrotec Semiconductor Technology Co Ltd. The company invested approximately RM650 million to build the factory, which specialises in the production of ceramic substrates for power semiconductor modules. Once fully operational, the factory is expected to generate an annual output valued between RM658 million and RM878 million. – Bernama

fostering a more enabling business ecosystem via Strivers’ Hub, a one stop-shop digital platform designed to cater to the evolving needs of small businesses, particularly women entrepreneurs”, she added. dobiQueen co-founder and executive director Nini Tan said: “Women spend close to 63.6% more time daily on unpaid work than men, with women continuing to perform an additional 3.6 to 4 hours on average for unpaid chores after office hours, leading to the ‘double burden’ or ‘second shift.’” She point out that her self-service laundrette in Klang Valley, with 90 outlets and rapidly expanding, has eased many household burdens. “What drives us forward is our understanding that women are well supported in their many roles in society,” said Tan. Meanwhile, TalentCorp Wanita Malaysia Sdn Bhd factory here on Wednesday. The event was officiated by Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi. Lee said the state government was also working to boost domestic investment by encouraging partnerships between local firms and multinational corporations (MNCs). “Any local companies that are interested can be matched with MNCs entering Johor to further strengthen domestic participation.”

FDI drives 80% of Johor’s new investment in April