BERA: The decade-long wait for the Bera Hospital is finally over after the 40-bed premises was opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob here today.
He said the RM92.5 million hospital complex which was approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan took over 10 years to complete because of the failure of the contractor to finish work within the stipulated time.
"I visited to monitor the work progress in October last year and the hospital was 98 per cent complete. The hospital which began construction in 2010 is finally complete and was opened last month... I think it is the longest (duration of work completion) in the world.
"Built on an area measuring 13ha, the Bera Hospital will serve over 150,000 people in Bera and the nearby areas. Previously, the people in Bera had to travel between 32km and 52km to the nearest hospital, including Temerloh (Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital) and Hospital Jempol (Negeri Sembilan)," he said in his speech when opening the Bera Hospital here today.
Also present was Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail and Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.
Ismail Sabri who is the Bera Member of Parliament paid tribute to the late Sultan Ahmad Shah (former Pahang Sultan) saying he was the individual responsible for making the construction of the Bera Hospital a reality.
"When I was the Bera member of parliament, I informed Tuanku that many children from Bera who stayed near the Pahang-Negri Sembilan border, including the Orang Asli community at Pos Iskandar were born in Negri Sembilan as there was a hospital nearby in Jempol. The Temerloh Hospital is about two hours away.
"Tuanku said this cannot happen as they were his rakyat and the situation was similar, like in Cameron Highlands (before the Sultanah Hajjah Kalsom Hospital was built) where the people used to travel to Tapah and Ipoh to give birth. Tuanku said he will solve the matter and less than two months later, he called me saying he has met the then Health Minister (Tan Sri) Chua Soi Lek and he has agreed to approve (Bera Hospital)," he said, adding the hospital will now pave the way for various health-related programmes which can be comprehensively implemented.
Ismail Sabri said that when he served as the Youth and Sports Minister in 2008, the late Sultan Ahmad Shah was present for the hospital's ground breaking ceremony and had shown deep concern about the progress.
He said the opening of the Bera Hospital is proof of the seriousness and commitment of the government in developing and providing health facilities for Malaysians to enjoy good health and quality services.
Meanwhile, he said the government is prepared to consider increasing the Health Ministry's allocation when tabling the 2023 Budget in October.
"During a recent meeting to coordinate projects under the 12th Malaysia Plan, I informed the meeting that the Health Ministry has to be given assistance in the upcoming budget. We discussed Malaysia being an ageing nation in 2040 and in other countries with an ageing population, the health budget will be increased.
"As an ageing nation, there will be many people with various illnesses and when people are sick they will go to hospitals. Since they will require medical treatment, the cost will surely increase... let the Economic Planning Unit look into the matter (2023 Budget) and although there might not be an enormous increase, it will be increased compared to previous years," he said.
During his visit to the hospital on Oct 9 last year, Ismail Sabri said the hospital which comprises four blocks will be completed by a third contractor.
Former Health Minister Tan Sri S. Subramaniam during his visit to the hospital in July 2017 was reported as saying only reliable contractors would be given the responsibility to complete hospital construction projects in the country.
Meanwhile, Khairy, in his speech, said the Bera hospital will be equipped with an operation theatre which will cost RM9 million soon.
"The robotic technology will be utilised to deliver food and lab samples while the patient bed watchers and management system will make it easier for nurses to monitor patients' movements in their wards," he said, adding that the hospital was equipped with the Anjung Kasih facility for accompanying family members.