PARIT BUNTAR: The new Parit Buntar Hospital will begin operations on September 3, serving approximately 73,000 local residents with comprehensive healthcare services.
Deputy Minister of Health Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni confirmed the opening date during the hospital’s official handover ceremony.
“This project, approved with a cost of RM173.3 million under the Third Rolling Plan of the 10th Malaysia Plan, encompasses the contract cost as well as the cost of medical and non-medical equipment and was completed on July 23,“ he stated.
The hospital features six three-storey blocks with a total capacity of 76 beds for patient care.
It will provide various services, including general medicine, general surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, as well as orthopaedics.
Lukanisman emphasised that every unit at the new hospital has wider, more comfortable and conducive spaces for the comfort of the staff and the public.
He also addressed nationwide construction delays for health facilities during the ceremony attended by Public Works Department director-general Datuk Roslan Ismail and state committee chairman A. Sivanesan.
“The ministry and JKR have also met to decide on the appropriate solutions to overcome the issue,“ he added regarding project delays.
Lukanisman cited bureaucracy, land issues and workforce constraints as some of the causes behind construction delays across health projects.
“We do not deny that several projects have been delayed. However, the process of completing these projects certainly takes time,“ he explained.
The ministry will tighten its monitoring of contractors to address the issue of delays in the construction of health facility projects nationwide.
“So far, we follow the advice of JKR by providing the LAD (Liquidated Ascertained Damages) to contractors. We also aggressively monitor projects that are deemed ailing projects,“ Lukanisman concluded. – Bernama