QE Hospital delayed again

The new building was supposed to have been completed by January this year, but was later deferred to end of this year.

KOTA KINABALU: The federal government has again come under fire for making  promises to Sabah that it cannot keep. It happens at the end of every year and this year was no exception.

With scores of public service infrastructure projects pending and facing extended delays while on-going works proceeding at a snail’s pace, the opposition has had a field day criticising the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition for taking its often boasted “fixed-deposit” state for granted.

The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) pointed out this week that the Health Ministry has again had to acknowledge that it could not complete construction of the state’s main referral hospital – the Queen Elizabeth Hospital – on time despite extending its own multiple deadlines numerable times.

The party’s information chief Chong Pit Fah said the failure to complete the hospital’s main Tower Block reconstruction project on schedule had now become a perfect example or a hallmark of the struggling coalition’s inability to function efficiently.

Chong also called for a full investigation of the multiple delays.

He said that the extended delay necessitates the direct intervention of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak himself as his ministers were proving to be incompetent.

The RM364 million project to build a 10-storey tower block to replace a tower block that was found “structurally unsound” commenced on June 7, 2010. The new building was supposed to have been completed by January this year, but was later deferred to end of this year.

However, checks this week showed the building is far from near completion. Chong said he had been informed by those in the know that the federal government was making plans to extend the completion date yet again.

“How many extensions have there been since the project started in June 2010? I think a piece of capati (a type of bread) is worth more than the so-called ‘Janji Ditepati’,” he said in a swipe at the “Promises fulfilled” slogan repeatedly trumpeted by the BN government.

Chong, who is local area party chief, said that while a full explanation on the extended delay was imperative, the government authorities responsible were keeping silent, it was business as usual and no one was being held accountable.

“On behalf of the people of Sabah, we in SAPP demand the Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai explain the new delay. We also demand to know when is the new date of completion and a personal assurance from the prime minister in the true spirit of ‘Janji Ditepati’,” he said.

Observers have also pointed out that when completed, the building might not be fully functional due to the non-implementation of initial plans as a result of squabbles by interested parties over lucrative jobs or contracts to supply medical equipment.

“I was made to understand that there’s a strong possibility that many departments might not have the medical equipment to conduct routine diagnostic checks,” Chong said, adding that the hospital departments affected are the dental, opthalmic, orthopaedic, sterilisation, urology, haematology and others.

“Besides this, more than half of the operation theatres, intensive care unit and isolation rooms might also not be able to function due to the lack of supporting medical equipment.”

He said Liow had remained silent on the issue, raising concerns among the various parties involved that there was some level of chaos and interference in the whole project.

Chong urged the government to be transparent and disclose in detail the provisions for the project and its exact cost as the people have a right to know how the money the government is collecting as taxes is being used.

Queville To