Kemaman: The new Kemaman hospital project in Kijal has now reached 84 per cent completion and will take at least another year to be fully completed. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said financial problems faced by the contractor were among the reasons the project has been delayed for almost eight years.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the contractor had also been granted eight extensions of time (EOT) to complete the project and is now subject to a late penalty fine amounting to RM2.5 million each month. The completion of the project, which began in November 2017, depends entirely on the determination and commitment of the contractor.

The Health Ministry (MOH) will discuss with the Ministry of Works (KKR) and the Public Works Department (JKR), as the implementing agency or contract administrator, to determine the direction of the project. Any decision regarding the contract falls under the jurisdiction of JKR and KKR, Dzulkefly said in a statement today.

Earlier, Dzulkefly had visited the site of the new hospital project in Kijal. He said he was committed to ensuring that the new hospital project would be completed for the wellbeing and welfare of Kemaman residents, who have long awaited the facility.

The hospital project, approved under the 2016 Budget, is intended to ease overcrowding at the existing Kemaman Hospital in Chukai town, where bed usage has now exceeded 90 per cent.