Construction of Sunamganj Sadar Hospital bldg going on at snail’s pace

SYLHET, May 07: The eight-storey building of the Sunamganj Sadar Hospital couldn't be made ready for use even months after the extended time. As the original schedule ended in June 2016, the project was given extension till December last year.

The work had been going on at snail's pace due to the contractor's negligence and other complexities. On occasions the contractor kept the work suspended for minor reasons while the implementing authority has no proper supervision due to unknown reasons, health officials said.

The Ministry of Health and Family Planning started the project with a targeted cost Tk 320 million in 2014, but it was later raised to Tk 400 million while the time was extended till December 2017 from the original deadline June 2016.

Work on the seventh floor on the new building of 250-bed hospital was completed in 2016. Works on the eighth floor was completed while some minor works of the building remained undone yet. The ICU and CCU are to be set at the eighth floor.

Sunamganj district's civil surgeon, also superintendent of the hospital Dr. Ashutosh Das told this correspondent the PWD had assured us of handing over the new building by June, since some important jobs remained incomplete as yet.

An official of the PWD however said, “We are trying to complete the works as soon as possible. The seven-storey building was completed in 2016, but the plan was later revised raising another floor for setting the ICU, CCU and other facilities”, he said it had caused the delay. “We hope things would be completed in months”, he added.

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