KUCHING – All suggestions made by the Sarawak government will be taken into consideration in the preparation of the white paper the Health Ministry will present to Parliament.
Deputy Health Minister Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the proposal included the state government’s demand for autonomy in health aspects.
“This autonomous power is not to take over the entire health system, but to improve it,” he told reporters after inspecting the Petra Jaya Hospital project here today.
During his recent meeting with Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Lukanisman said he had also explained that this autonomous power will allow the state to determine what types of projects will be implemented and how much will be spent on these projects.
“Currently, the planning (of health projects) is centralised (at the federal level) and this proposal will be refined by the federal and state leadership,” he said.
On the Petra Jaya Hospital construction project, Lukanisman said the project, which was taken over by a rescue company, was 25.78% complete as of December 31.
“This is a positive development as the project is about a month ahead of schedule,” he said.
According to him, the selected contractor will expedite the construction work in the coming months, especially in the installation of electrical equipment.
He said the hospital is expected to be fully completed by November 25 next year and fully operational as early as 2025.
The construction of Petra Jaya Hospital, which started on May 30, 2013, was deemed a sick project as it was not completed within the five-year period stipulated in the original contract, after the previously appointed contractor faced many problems in completing it. – Bernama, January 8, 2023
