GEORGE TOWN: A new maternity and paediatric block will be built at the Penang General Hospital to replace the now-obsolete Penang Maternity Hospital, said Health Minister Datuk Seri S. Subramaniam today.

Dr Subramaniam, who visited the Penang General Hospital here this morning, said the 122-year-old Penang Maternity Hospital was no longer safe to inhabit due to its age and dilapidated conditions.

“All maternity and paediatric services have been moved to the Penang General Hospital until the new block is completed in 2016,” he said, adding that the project, approved under the 10th Malaysia Plan, would cost around RM250 million.

-NST