By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, July 4: The proposed Sri Aman Hospital project that is scheduled to be completed by next month is only about 70 per cent completed.
A Sri Aman resident told DayakDaily that many in Sri Aman expressed disappointment over the progress of the project.
“Our existing hospital is very old and we have been looking forward to having a new hospital. The building of it, however, has been delayed and delayed. Both the previous government and the present one are the same,” lamented the resident, a DayakDaily reader.
He said presently, the main structure might look quite complete but the interior is something else.
“We noticed that the progress has been very slow. We are very upset about the whole issue. We urge the federal government to look into the issue since this is a federal government project.
“We really hope to see this hospital to be operational as soon as possible. We hope to have a well-equipped hospital with all the necessary modern facilities, where specialists may be able to be sent here,” added the resident.
He pointed out that once the hospital is operational, many from the surrounding areas such as Betong, Engkilili, Lubok Antu, Pantu, Lingga and Sungai Tenggang could seek medical treatment in Sri Aman.
For Sri Aman folk, it is a three-hour drive to get to Sibu. Similarly, it is three hours of driving if they want to go to Kuching for medical treatment. Hence, the need for a new hospital.
The resident suggested that if more delays were expected, perhaps the federal government should first upgrade the old hospital to meet the needs of the people first.
The Sri Aman Hospital project has been well known to be a “sick project”. Some quarters even considered it as the “sickest” project. It was announced 12 years ago but has since missed several deadlines.
After Pakatan Harapan government took over, Works Minister Baru Bian announced the new deadline of August 2019.
The new completion date has been pushed to 2020.
The proposed hospital is being built to replace the existing one that was built in 1954. — DayakDaily
