The Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, has confirmed that the Islands Hospital will not be completed before 2020, adding that it was not possible at this time to estimate the final cost of the health complex.
The hospital, which is comprised of seven buildings, is a complex project, according to the secretary. He said that the responsible authorities needed to consult more than 10 government departments in order to approve the site’s construction blueprints.
The secretary explained that due to such complexities in the construction process the hospital will not be completed before 2020, and he has “no idea” how long the project might take.
“I don’t know [how long it will take],” he said, as cited by public broadcaster TDM. “What I mean by ‘I don’t know’ is that I have no idea how many rounds of opinions we will receive from those departments.”
“It might take more time for adjustment according to the [number] of opinions we get, so I hope everybody will be more understanding that this is a very complex project and it definitely takes time,” added Rosário. “We’re not talking about a residential building or an office,” he said, cracking a smile.
Moreover, the Director of Macau’s Health Bureau, Lei Chin Ion, has made it known that the final cost of the Islands Hospital cannot be determined at this stage.
Asked whether it would exceed the estimated MOP10 billion, Lei said that although that figure remains the government’s official evaluation the estimate was made over 10 years ago. He did not elaborate further, as per a TDM report.
In January 2015 the Health Bureau claimed that the hospital would be completed by the end of 2017, with the exception of some specialist departments. That date was later postponed to 2019.
However, the recently released five-year plan from the government made it clear that the hospital would only be completed after 2019, which means that current chief executive Chui Sai On – who will leave office that year – will not be inaugurating the site’s opening. DB
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