The National Welfare Foundation (YKN) is building four more Anjung Kasih or transit houses at hospitals for patients'' next of kin, and these are expected to be ready by the middle of 2018.

The foundation''s board of trustees chairman, Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the four new Anjung Kasih would be at Serdang Hospital, Penang Hospital, Alor Setar Hospital and Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Kota Kinabalu.

She said to date, there were eight Anjung Kasih at hospitals across the country with a total of 426 beds while 37,790 people had benefited from this facility.

"Our endeavour now is to make the setting up of Anjung Kasih a standard operating procedure for all hospitals. Hence, we would like to suggest to the Health Ministry to ensure that each hospital has an Anjung Kasih," said Shahrizat, who is also Wanita UMNO chief.

She was speaking at the ''Selami Kasih YKN'' event where she also handed out Aidilfitri contributions to 100 patients at Selayang Hospital''s YKN Mekar Unit and Psychiatric Unit, and residents at its Anjung Kasih.

The Anjung Kasih is a transit facility for the next of kin of patients who are looking after them at the wards, especially those from out of town and cannot afford to pay for rented or hotel accommodation.

-- BERNAMA