Watch: Ambulance Drivers And Engineers ‘Staying In Containers’ At Gozo Hospital, Alex Borg Warns
Ambulance drivers and engineers at the Steward-run Gozo Hospital are “staying in containers”, newly appointed spokesperson for Gozo Alex Borg has claimed.
Speaking in an interview with Lovin Malta, Borg said that the deal to hand over the Gozo General Hospital has failed to deliver and meet its contractual obligations to provide adequate healthcare on the island.
“There was no direct investment in the service. There was no direct investment in the infrastructure of the hospital,” Borg said.
“The ambulance drivers are staying in containers, the engineers are staying in containers.”
Borg insisted that there are countless numbers of people on both sides of the political divide who are concerned about the issue.
He pointed to the lack of chemotherapy treatment and MRI scans at the Gozo General Hospital, which he said are vital services for the people on the island.
Borg has first-hand experience with the issue. His father, who died from cancer three years ago, had to travel regularly to and from Gozo and Malta just to get essential treatment.
“People who are suffering from a serious illness have to always travel that extra distance,” he said.
Steward Healthcare was brought in to save the concession for the Gozo General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital and Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital from Vitals Global Healthcare, who was forced to sell off their operations just 21 months after starting amid growing financial debt, which stood at €36 million by the end of 2017.
An un-redacted contract revealed that taxpayers were paying VGH around €188,000 a day (€70 million a year) to provide hospital beds to the state, €1.2 million a year for the Barts medical school and a further €1 million for a helicopter service.
The deal has been mired in corruption claims, particularly given that the government signed a Memorandum of Understanding months before a request for proposals was even announced.
Steward’s current president has admonished the deal, highlighting concerns over mismanagement and lack of oversight from Maltese authorities.
Steward Healthcare was brought in to replace VGH, with the company unable to pay its employ. Steward was given certain assurances by the government, namely from Mizzi and Muscat when they were brought in to save the failing concession.
This included a massive €100 million buyout should the concession be rescinded and a secret €8 million bank guarantee (which has since been waived).
The deal has created massive gaps in operations – with Steward staff being paid less than their state counterparts for doing the exact same job. Meanwhile, the government continues to fork out millions for a service that is not too dissimilar from Malta’s national health service.
It was recently revealed that Muscat was paid €60,000 from Accutor AG and Spring X Media, two Swiss companies owned by Pakistani lawyer Wasay Bhatti, in the early months of 2020, shortly after his resignation as Prime Minister.
Matthew Caruana Galizia has claimed that Muscat was initially set to receive a €540,000 contract until a UBS bank closed down the company’s accounts.
Muscat, who has denied all allegations, has seen his house searched by police.
Should the deal be scrapped?
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