Sarawak deputy premier Dr Sim Kui Hian said the federal government could repay the state government later. He said he had written to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the matter.

Sim said cancer patients in Sarawak could ill-afford to wait longer for the cancer centre’s construction, pointing out that the disease is the second highest cause of death in the Bornean state.

Last month, Sim said Sarawak was waiting on Putrajaya’s approval for the project, with the state government having already agreed to give a loan for it.

He had said construction can only begin once the federal government signs the agreement on the project.