KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — The construction of the Shah Alam Hospital, which was delayed for several years, is now fully completed and expected to be operational in stages from this October.

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the hospital was expected to be fully operational in January next year.

He said the construction of the hospital was taken over by a new contractor, Gadang Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd from the original contractor, Sunshine Fleet Sdn Bhd, which failed to complete the building since 2007.

“After a seven-year and four-month construction, the Health Ministry is expected to receive the building by the end of June,” he told reporters after chairing the PAC meeting in Parliament House here today.

Commenting on the hospital’s original contractor, Nur Jazlan said the government had taken action to file a summon against the company for RM68.25 million due to the costs incurred when the project was abandoned.

“The company received the project in November 2007 and it should have been completed within three years but in September 2010, the Works Department terminated the contract as it was only 27 per cent completed besides incurring a cost of RM139.9 million, he said.

He said the failure of the original company to complete the project according to schedule could have been due to a lack of skill in the construction of a hospital building. — Bernama