Health Minister Therese Baptiste-Cornelis told reporters Wednesday there is going to be another delay in opening the controversial Scarborough Hospital because of the delay in the procurement process for "non-fixed" medical equipment.
Speaking at a news conference in Port of Spain, the minister said the problem is that tendering for the items cannot be done until the ministry has a definite completion date for the hospital. She said that date continues to be elusive.
The actual construction began in 2002 with a projected cost of just over $130 million. The minister said the government has made "all the payments that have come to my attention, via my director of finance", in order to have the projected completed.
NIPDEC is responsible for the project. General Manager Wendy Also told reporters so far the hospital is "about 82 per cent" completed and "that includes equipment as well as construction, and that equipment will be fixed items of equipment, medical and non-medical".
She added that the non-fixed equipment was not part of the original price tag and that's why it needed to be tendered.
Speaking at a news conference in Port of Spain, the minister said the problem is that tendering for the items cannot be done until the ministry has a definite completion date for the hospital. She said that date continues to be elusive.
The actual construction began in 2002 with a projected cost of just over $130 million. The minister said the government has made "all the payments that have come to my attention, via my director of finance", in order to have the projected completed.
NIPDEC is responsible for the project. General Manager Wendy Also told reporters so far the hospital is "about 82 per cent" completed and "that includes equipment as well as construction, and that equipment will be fixed items of equipment, medical and non-medical".
She added that the non-fixed equipment was not part of the original price tag and that's why it needed to be tendered.
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