By NAKUBIANA SHABONGO
-
HEALTH Deputy Minister Chitalu Chilufya says Government has terminated a K13.8 million contract awarded to Yangt Jiang enterprise for the construction of Mungwi District Hospital due to failure by the contractor to start works.
Dr Chilufya said the Chinese firm had failed to mobilise and start work from the time it was awarded the contract in January this year.
“We have terminated the contract of enterprise amounting to K13,820,325 for the construction of Mungwi District hospital because the contractor has failed to mobilise.
“The Government wants contractors to support our health visions for citizens and this will be a lesson to other contractors,” Dr Chilufya said.
Dr Chilufya announced the termination of the contract when he visited Northern Province to check on service delivery, infrastructure development and drug provision among other things in health centres.
Dr Chilufya said Government would not condone contractual delays as this negatively impacted on moving the country’s health agenda forward.
He said Government with the support from cooperating partners had released US $5.2million towards supporting nursing schools around Zambia.
About K5.2million has also been released for construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of health posts in Northern Province.
Northern Province Permanent Secretary, Hlobota Nkunika said the project of constructing 69 hospitals in the area was on course.