Thiruvananthapuram: Health Minister K Muraleedharan has directed officials to expedite the commissioning of the new multi-storied building at the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram, which remains non-operational even five months after its inauguration.

The minister issued the directive after inspecting the facility on Friday amid complaints that the building, inaugurated in February ahead of the Assembly elections, remained inaccessible to patients as construction was yet to be completed. The building was inaugurated by the previous LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan before the project was completed.

During a review meeting with representatives of the Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society, the agency executing the project, Muraleedharan directed them to complete all remaining contractual work and hand over the building to the RCC by September 30.

He instructed the executing agency to avoid any further delays and ensure that all pending work was completed within the stipulated timeframe.

"The building, constructed at a cost of several crores of rupees with modern facilities, cannot be allowed to remain unused while cancer patients await better treatment infrastructure," the minister said, stressing that the facility should be made operational at the earliest to expand RCC's treatment capacity and improve healthcare services for cancer patients.

Muraleedharan also reviewed the status of the ongoing works, the remaining tasks and the measures required to ensure the project was completed and handed over on schedule in discussions with RCC officials and representatives of the construction agency.