The new wing of the Larnaca General Hospital has been turned into a ball by the Ministry of Health and OKYPY, until it is decided who will take over the formation of the new wing.
As stated in a letter sent by the Minister of Health, Dr. Popi Kanaris, to the Member of Parliament of AKEL, George Loukaidis, the procedures for the construction of the 2nd floor of the new wing of the Larnaca General Hospital, it was initially decided to be undertaken by the Department of Public Works who are the Technical Advisors of the Ministry of Health and will they had to prepare the tender conditions and documents.
Previously, Mr. Loukaidis in his letter to the Minister of Health requested to be informed about the state of readiness and operation of the second floor of the new wing of the Larnaca General Hospital, as well as whether there were any delays.
The optimism of the Ministry, the €9 million and the arrears
In her response, the Minister of Health reveals that there has been no progress with the work since the project was announced on July 19, 2023.
In fact, according to the Electronic Contracting System of the General Accounting Office, the deadline for receiving offers ended just a few days ago, on September 22.
The reason behind the delay seems to be found, beyond the bureaucracy, and in the hopes of the Ministry of Health that the work could be done without any cost, hopes, however, which in the end turned out to be... false.
The initial suggestion, as noted by Dr. Kanaris, was to confirm the offer by direct assignment to the same contractor who had erected the new wing of the Hospital.
Citing the reasons behind the reasoning, the Minister of Health pointed out that they estimated that the contractor might not ask for additional money for the configuration of the space, given that a twelve-year maintenance contract is in force.
"The main reason was the impossibility of claiming damages on his part due to a twelve-year maintenance contract which is in force," he explains, adding that the contractor eventually asked for around €9 million.
"There were some delays in the preparation of the documents and terms of the contract and when everything was ready, and submitted to the Contractor, he asked for approximately €9 million plus VAT for the layout of the floor."
"No" Ministry and the search for alternatives
As explained by Dr. Kanaris, the Ministry of Health considered that this amount is excessive and suggested to OKYpY to contact a private Researcher and, after being given all the relevant documents, to proceed with a comparative cost estimate.
The assessment was completed with the cost finally estimated at €5,2 million plus VAT. However, according to the estimated value on the electronic platform of public contracts, the estimated value amounts to €7,117.106.
Subsequently, as the Minister of Health explains in her letter, it was deemed right for OKYpY to proceed with the announcement of a tender for the design of the 2nd floor with the Study - Construction - Maintenance method of a total area of 3 sq.m. in which the following Services/Departments will be located:
- Mental Health Services
- Dental Services
- Center for Maternity and Child Protection
- Day Care Area for Cancer Patients
- Day Surgeries and Endoscopies
May 2024 delivery
The Project was finally announced on July 19, 2023 and, according to the estimates of the Ministry of Health, it is expected to be completed around the end of May 2024.
"With the completion of the Project of shaping the 2nd floor, the Services/Departments located in the preserved building of the Old Larnaca Hospital will be moved there so that it will be handed over empty to the Municipality of Larnaca", adds Dr. Canary.
Additionally, in her letter she notes that with this announcement "other useful works will be done on the 3rd floor and the cost will total €8,5 million".
EconomyToday