The Perak state government is calling on the federal government to speed up the construction of Seri Iskandar Hospital here which has yet to take off.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir said it is the request of the local community in Central Perak district as the Changkat Melintang Hospital in Bota is unable to cope with the increasing number of patients.

"The construction of Seri Iskandar Hospital was announced by the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) during the previous general election as the (Barisan Nasional) government's manifesto," he said.

He was speaking to reporters after opening a Mini Carnival on Safety at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Layang-Layang Kiri in conjunction with the Menteri Besar's Retreat programme here today.

Zambry also urged the Works Department (JKR) and the Health Ministry to expedite their evaluations so that tender for the construction of the hospital could be called soon.

Meanwhile, on the problems of floods faced by the residents in the area, Zambry said the disaster was due to differences in waterway areas managed by JKR and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS).

"The technical problems involved increased waterflow while housing areas and roads were mostly on lower lying areas resulting in floods, so we must find a solution to overcome it," he said. - BERNAMA