Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (right) being briefed on the Petra Jaya Hospital project in Kuching. - ZULAZHAR SHEBLEE/The Star
KUCHING: Construction of the long-delayed Petra Jaya Hospital here is expected to be completed in May next year, three months ahead of schedule.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the project has reached 54.26%.
"The contractor and ministry have been instructed to ensure no more delays.
"The estimated completion is in Aug 2025 but now that the project is ahead of time, I hope it can be expedited by three months," he told reporters after visiting the project site on Friday (Jan 12).
Dr Dzulkefly said he did not see any possible disruptions that could delay the project after being briefed on the progress.
"Designing and building a hospital was very complex, but I don't see any further delays.
"When the (current) contractor took over the project, it took almost a year to turn it around," he said.
He added that it would take another three to four months to equip the hospital once the building is completed, after which it would be operational.
The Petra Jaya Hospital was previously categorised as a sick project after suffering numerous delays since construction commenced in 2013.
The project was supposed to be completed in Nov 2016 but only reached 34.5% in 2018.
The previous contractor was terminated in 2018 and a rescue contractor was appointed in 2020.
Separately, Dr Dzulkefly said a delegation from the ministry had discussed Sarawak's proposals for healthcare autonomy in a meeting with state officials earlier Friday.
He said working committees would be formed to follow up on the proposals.
"I think the requests from Sarawak are reasonable, they include matters like infrastructure, governance, human resources and posts," he said.
