KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said Federal development projects for schools and clinics can be implemented without having to wait for the land title as long as it has been gazetted for the purpose.

“The State Government has already decided that there is no need to wait for the land title as long as the land has been gazetted for the purpose of Federal development projects.

“If the land is needed to build schools or clinics, we must facilitate so that there is no delay in the implementation of these projects,” he said in a statement after his working visit to the Sabah Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Ministry here today.

The Chief Minister also urged the ministry to engage with the relevant Federal agencies in Sabah to strengthen cooperation.

“If there is engagement and cooperation, we can implement development projects smoothly,” he said.

Hajiji also commended the ministry for its proactive plan to improve the people’s prosperity and health through the setting up of the Sabah Autism Centre in Sembulan and the acquisition of the multi-million ringgit Positron Emission Tomography scan (PET scan) and the Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT scan) machines among others.

The PET and SPECT scan machines for cancer detection are available at the Sabah Women and Children’s Hospital in Likas.

Earlier, the Chief Minister and entourage were briefed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datuk Maria Chong on their programmes and plans moving forward.

“I view the Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Ministry as an important component in the government’s system, more so the people’s prosperity is one of the focuses in the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya initiative,“ said Hajiji.