KUCHING: The Petra Jaya Hospital project is expected to be completed by 6 June this year.
However, the current rate of work progress of the project is only 46 per cent whereas it should be 95 per cent by this month.
According to the State Health Department Director, Dr Jamilah Hashim, the contractors requested an extension of time, up to December, but the Public Works Department (JKR) did not approve their application.
Jamilah attributed the lack of manpower as the main cause of the delay, saying that they needed more than 1,000 workers.
“At the moment they only have about 300 workers which are not enough and I hope they can increase the number of workers so that the progress can be sped up during these last few months,” she said during a media briefing session held at the department’s premises at Jalan Diplomatik here on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, she also said that the proposed hospitals in Sri Aman and Lawas had also hit a speed bump in regards to their work progress.
She said the Sri Aman Hospital project which is expected to be completed by next year, was behind the scheduled 40 per cent completion progress rate.
“Workers are also a problem for the contractor,” she said.
As for the Lawas Hospital, Jamilah revealed that the contractors decided not to proceed with the project and that only earthwork had been completed.
