Petra Jaya Hospital to be ready in 2024
New contractor already appointed to complete delay-stricken project, says minister
It will take some time for the new hospital to be operational as the contactor had been removing the old equipment of the previous contractor over the past few months, and also cleaning and preparing the site.
KUCHING: Petra Jaya Hospital should be operational in 2024, with a new contractor having been appointed to handle the delayed-plagued project.
In stating this, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the new contractor had already conducted some works on the site since January this year.
“It will take some time for the new hospital to be operational as the contactor had been removing the old equipment of the previous contractor over the past few months, and also cleaning and preparing the site (for the next phase of works),” he told reporters a er visiting Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) yesterday.
Khairy said upon its completion, the new hospital in Petra Jaya would be able to provide about 300 beds.
As for the yet-to-be-opened Sri Aman Hospital, the minister expressed hope for the facility to begin operations as soon as possible to relieve the burden currently experienced by other hospitals in Kuching.
“The physical infrastructure of the (Sri Aman) hospital has already been completed and now, it is undergoing the ‘testing-andcommissioning’ phase. I have asked the ministry’s secretary
Khairy Jamaluddin
general on whether we could open the hospital earlier or not,” he said.
The minister also proposed for certain sections in Sri Aman Hospital to be opened to patients earlier than scheduled, if the facility could not be fully operational in the near term.
Responding to a question on whether or not there were enough hospital beds in Kuching, Khairy said the availability here was ‘satisfactory’ and the ministry would focus on increasing the intensive care unit (ICUs) capacity in other districts like Sibu and Sarikei.
“Some of these projects involving the installation of modular ICUs are on-going (in other districts), with some just about to start.
“I will leave it to the state government and the Health Department to determine on where to put these beds,” said Khairy, pointing out that certain hospitals might require as many as 10 additional ICU beds.
He said the federal government has also agreed in principle to set up a field hospital at Medan in Sibu.
At the same time, he said the Ministry of Health will also dispatch 42 extra health personnel to Sarawak, while the Royal Malaysian Air Force will be delivering 1,008 oxygen cylinders next week.
The ministry has already sent 180 ventilators to Sarawak with another 20 slated to be delivered this week, he added.
“We will send another 30 ambulances to Sarawak. (A lack of) ambulances is a big problem so we have approved 30 more ambulances for Sarawak,” he added.
He said these were among the measures Putrajaya is taking to help the state government and Sarawakians cope with the surge of Covid-19 infections.
“We will carry on increasing the health capacities so that any cases, whatever the scenario is, there will be enough ICU capacity, (hospital) beds and doctors to treat Covid-19 cases in Sarawak.”
During his visit to SGH, Khairy dropped by the daycare centre, pathology department, blood bank and the field hospital.
Accompanying him were his deputy minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, Health Ministry secretary-general Dato Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, Health directorgeneral Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, State Disaster Management Committee advisor Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Sarawak Health Department director Dato Dr Mohamed Sapian Mohamed, and SGH director Dr Ngian Hie Ung.