Minister of Health Ahmed Naseem has stated that the project to develop an extension building for Noonu Atoll Hospital in Manadhoo will be re-opened for tender. He made the remarks in a written statement to the Parliament of the Maldives in response to an enquiry over the delay in developing the extension building for the hospital.
In the statement, Minister Naseem said the project was opened for tender but that contractors had proposed bids that were too expensive. The minister said that the project will be funded with finances from the Bank of Maldives (BML) and that it will be re-opened for tender this month. He also said that construction of six outpatient department (OPD) rooms and a laboratory has been completed at the hospital.
A contractor has been hired to complete the design work of the project to develop an extension building for Noonu Atoll Hospital under a contractor financing policy. In all, around USD1 million has been allocated in the state budget for the project.
The government’s regulations dictate that state institutions hire contractors for projects through an open, competitive bidding process and that they choose bids that are financially beneficial for the government.