Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob speaks during a press conference at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya October 13, 2021. — Bernama pic
KUCHING, Oct 23 — Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob does not want the practice of appointing rescue contractors to persist and instead has called for closer monitoring of government projects from the beginning to ensure they are completed according to schedule.
The prime minister said contractors who were late or failed to complete projects not only undermined the government and people’s aspirations but also caused project costs to increase.
“The existing contractors should be monitored (closely) until the work is completed because if it involves such a delay, the hope of people in this area and the government to get a hospital will be affected, and worse still the cost will rise,” he told a press conference after visiting the Hospital Petra Jaya (HPJ) project site here today.
For HPJ, the rescue contractor began work on the uncompleted portion of the abandoned works early this year and the hospital is expected to be in full operation in 2024.
HPJ was once categorised as a “sick project” after it fell behind its scheduled completion date of November 2016 due to delays in construction. — Bernama