Main contractor of Hospital Petra Jaya in Sarawak to be fired

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has in principle agreed to terminate the contract of the main contractor building Hospital Petra Jaya in Sarawak, said Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

The Health Minister said that the ministry will begin the process of termination of Zecon Bhd according to procedure.

“This will be a warning to other contractors that we can no longer accept such bad jobs because in the end, the people will suffer from the delay,” he said after launching the Healthcare Forum 2018 – Sustaining Tomorrow’s Healthcare, Empowering Today’s Consumers.

He said the hospital in Kuching was supposed to be completed on Nov 29, 2016, but as of June this year, only 34.54% of the project was done, with the completion date pushed back to December.

The delay is causing overcrowding at the Sarawak General Hospital.

He said the ministry, the Sarawak State Health Department, state exco and Public Works Department had unanimously decided at a meeting in Kuching on Tuesday that the contract held by main contractor Zecon Bhd be terminated.

Asked if the Government will appoint another main contractor for Hospital Petra Jaya, Dr Dzulkefly said: “We are not opening tender again because it will involve a long time frame.

“So, we decided that it should be handled by the Public Works Department (JKR) or nominated subcontractors.”