The Infrastructure Development Office (GDI) said in a statement on Thursday that it expects construction of an infectious disease centre next to the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre to get off the ground in the first quarter of next year. Previously, construction of the 12-storey infectious disease centre was slated to start in the third quarter of 2016.
According to the statement, construction of the infectious disease centre will be carried out in two phases – the foundations and the main structure.
The future infectious disease centre is officially known as Public Health Building – which is the first-phase extension project of the adjacent public hospital, according to the statement.
The office unsealed bids submitted by 23 construction companies for the foundations of the project yesterday. Among the 23 bids submitted, 22 were accepted, while the office accepted the remaining one conditionally – the company will have to submit some documents that it failed to submit within a specified period of time.
According to the Macau Post Daily, the foundation work quotations proposed by the 23 bidders range from MOP 81 million to MOP 217 million.
According to the statement, the site where the infectious disease centre will be located covers about 5,600 square metres.
The office has set a maximum construction period of 760 days for the project’s foundations.
According to previous information provided by the government, the centre will provide 80 isolation wards.
Some residents living near the government’s chosen site for the centre close to the public hospital on Guia Hill have expressed strong opposition to the project, saying they worry that the centre would not be safe and could pose a health risk to those who live or work nearby. They have suggested that the centre be built instead as a segment of the under-construction Cotai Hospital Complex.
The government has repeatedly insisted that the centre is urgently needed and promised that it will be safe and follow strict international standards for such facilities.
