The minister said the decision to delay the opening was to ensure the hospital achieved at least 50% operational readiness before opening its doors.

Dzulkefly added that Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi also agreed to delay the hospital’s opening to ensure it had the necessary staff and equipment.

“We have agreed to ensure at least 50% readiness (for the hospital), not just in terms of brick and mortar but also in terms of its human resources and equipment.

“We expect to get the required staffing by the end of the year or in the first quarter of next year,” he said at a press conference here today.

The hospital was scheduled to begin operations on Aug 1.

Yesterday, Johor regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim expressed disappointment over the delayed opening, and called for 25% of the state’s income tax revenue to be returned.

He said other shortcomings under federal purview, such as the recent disruptions at the Sultan Iskandar Building and Sultan Abu Bakar complex’s immigration autogate systems, highlighted the need for 25% of the contribution to the federal income tax from Johoreans being returned to the state.