Shah Alam private hospital told to reject funds from ‘Israel-tainted’ KKR

The Malaysian chapter of the global movement to boycott Israel has warned a local private hospital to review its decision to allow US-based fund Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) to acquire a minority stake estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of ringgit, pointing to the irony of how the move raises “serious ethical questions” in the light of Israel’s systematic destruction of healthcare for Palestinians in the Occupied Territories.

Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Malaysia urged Shah Alam-based Avisena Healthcare, which operates one of the nation’s largest private hospitals, to review its decision to accept capital from KKR “whose reputation has been damaged by its links to Israel”.

“It is painful to see Avisena, named after the renowned Muslim physician-philosopher of the Islamic Golden Age, link up with KKR, a company that has strong links with Israel, which has carried out mass murder of Muslims and Christians in Gaza and the West Bank,” BDS Malaysia said in a statement.

The group stopped short of calling for a boycott of the hospital or accusing it of complicity in Israeli crimes, but advised Malaysians “to carefully examine their conscience before deciding whether to use an Avisena facility”.

“It has to be said that accepting funds from an entity such as KKR raises serious ethical questions regarding Avisena’s values as a healthcare company committed to the principles of humane and just treatment for all.”

News of KKR’s investment in Avisena sparked a flurry of reactions on social media, with many citing KKR’s involvement in the Israeli economy through its major investments, including in areas with illegal Jewish settlements.

Avisena has dismissed the protests, saying the capital injection was a commercial transaction by a company with diverse shareholders and not personally tied to its Jewish billionaire founders as claimed.

“It should not be attributed or interpreted based on the religion, ethnicity or personal background of any individual.

“It is only a minority investment and does not involve the purchase, acquisition or any change to the control of the existing shareholding of Avisena Healthcare,” the hospital group was quoted by Sinar Harian as saying.

While the amount of the investment from KKR was not specified, a Reuters report last month estimated that the acquisition involves 20% to 25% of Avisena in a deal that could be worth RM300 million to RM400 million.

KKR and Israeli economy

BDS Malaysia listed a series of investments by KKR that show how the fund continues to invest in Israel.

They include its investments in Israeli property platform Guesty, IT firms Global Technical Realty (GTR) and Semperis, and digital content platform Artlist.

It said KKR is also the majority owner of Aviv Group, which in turn owns a property advertising firm whose listings include illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

“KKR continues to maintain investments in Israel despite Israel’s criminal conduct against the Palestinians,” BDS Malaysia added.

It went on to remind Avisena of Israel’s crimes against healthcare based on reports from the World Health Organization and the British Medical Journal.

“Israel has carried out more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare targets between October 2023 and June 2026, including 36 hospitals, and has also murdered over 1,700 healthcare workers in Gaza.

“We therefore call on Avisena to review its decision to accept capital from KKR, whose reputation has been damaged by its links to Israel.”

MalaysiaNow has contacted Avisena for a response.

It is the latest in a series of investments by controversial business entities that have sparked outrage among Palestinian supporters in Malaysia, especially after Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, where more than 100,000 civilians have been killed since October 2023.

A similar protest erupted in 2024 over Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s insistence on selling shares in state-owned airport management company Malaysia Airports to a firm owned by BlackRock, the US fund manager facing allegations of complicity in Israeli war crimes.

Activists have also protested a series of incidents where Israel-bound ships have docked in local ports.

Just last week, BDS Malaysia warned the Malaysian government that scores of containers carrying supplies to the Zionist state were heading to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP) in Johor, almost a month after authorities blocked a shipment of cargo for Elbit Systems, the lynchpin of Israel’s military-industrial complex.