Patients in the old Medical and Paediatric Wards of Nuku'alofa's Vaiola Hospital will move into new wards in the new hospital complex in January, the Minister of Health Dr Viliami Tangi said on Friday.

During a hand-over ceremony, to mark the completion of Phase 3 of the Vaiola Hospital reconstruction project, Dr Tangi exchanged a Certificate of Completion with a set of keys to the new wards, with Mr Yasunori Takati, the project Manager for Kitano Construction Company, the Japanese company that constructed the 2644 square metre complex.

The two two-storey buildings have 50 rooms, making up the Medical and the Paediatric Wards as well as Isolation Wards and a Medical Gas House.

Dr Tangi said that the new wards will be commissioned on December 19 and patients will move into their new wards by early January. The new wards complex was financed with a $10-11 million pa'anga loan by the Tonga government from the World Bank.

The Vaiola Hospital Reconstruction Project, "is a priority project for government. I have just been in Japan for a week talking to them, and hope that they will be willing to carry on with the other phases," he said.

Dr Tangi said that the ministry was only half way through the Vaiola Reconstruction Project, and there are Phases 4, 5 and 6 to be completed.

"A team from Japan will arrive in January to start the work on Phase 4, which is the demolishing of old wards, and in its place there will be an Acute Emergency, Hospital Administration and an out patients dispensary. Phase 5 and 6 will include a Dentistry and a new Nursing School."

The government initiated the Reconstruction of Vaiola Project with a loan of $8 million pa'anga from the World Bank for the construction of the kitchen and laundry facilities. Dr Tangi said that initially they thought that Japan would be willing to finance the whole project but because they were not forth coming, "government had to move forward, then they came in with finance for Phase 2, of $11-12 million Pa'anga."

Phase 2 was commissioned last year by the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. The designing and the construction of Phase 2 and 3 were carried out by Japanese companies. The construction of Phase 2 was by Fujita, and Phase 3 by Kitano.