A DAP lawmaker today claimed that the government forked out an extra RM345 million to build a government hospital in Petrajaya, Sarawak while the actual cost should be as low as RM150 million.

In a parliamentary written reply, Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam claimed that the construction cost for the 300-bed Petrajaya Hospital was RM495 million, said Julian Tan (DAP-Stampin).

"According to Koh Tsu Koon in 2010 when he was minister in the prime minister's department, the benchmark for hospital cost should be RM500,000 for every bed," he said.

Thus, the cost for the Petrajaya hospital should be RM150 million and not RM495 million, he said.

Koh reportedly claimed the benchmark was set by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak then, said Tan.

"In the report, Koh even said if the cost per bed was very high, then you have to either charge very high fees in order to get the returns or you have to suffer losses," he said.

He urged the MACC to probe the project which will be completed the year after next.

"I also call for the national audit department to conduct an audit on the project," he said.

In his parliamentary written reply, Subramaniam said the hospital's construction commenced in May, 2013 and it was scheduled to be completed in June, 2017.