Shania Shayal Prasad 
CWM Hospital.
The Health Ministry acknowledges facing hurdles in completing the extension of the new maternity unit.
Despite a groundbreaking ceremony in 2018, Permanent Secretary Dr. James Fong reveals that COVID-19 disruptions caused a two-year delay in the original plans.
He says as a result, the space earmarked for the maternity unit was repurposed for other functions, and the infrastructure maintenance fell behind expectations.
Dr James Fong.
Dr. Fong states that the initial decision to establish the new maternity unit was driven by infrastructure considerations however, at present, the existing infrastructure is encountering additional challenges that must be addressed.
“We have re-looked at the whole problem, and it is evident that we had to put quite a bit of money into the maternity itself, and that is part of an ongoing project right now as we speak to strengthen the maternity unit.”
The Ministry of Health is gearing up for a close collaboration with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to craft a comprehensive master plan, ensuring an orderly execution of their expansion initiatives.
Once the plan is established, they will need to reassess their strategies to determine the most effective way to incorporate the completion of the new ward.
