The building of two new wards with a total of 68 beds is under way and on track, Health Minister Konrad Mizzi said today during a visit of the site.
Dr Mizzi said the government responded to the “weak concrete” problem at Mater Dei immediately, and started looking for alternative sites in August. Work on the new site started in November, he said.
“This is the way to do things,” Dr Mizzi said, noting that the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS), the contractors and the government all cooperated with each other.
Dr Mizzi expressed his anger and disappointment at the use of weak concrete, which was confirmed in a report yesterday.
He said the €600 million spent on Mater Dei should have resulted in a solid structure and enough beds.
“This should not happen in a European country...
“The opposition leader asked us to be accountable. We took control and implemented precautionary measures to make the site safe,” he said
The Health Minister said that “politicians” in the previous administration would have been aware of the problems at Mater Dei.
He said the government only got to know about “certain documents” after a change in CEO at the FMS. This documents were locked in the former CEO’s safe. This same CEO, Brian St John, is now the CEO of the PN’s media wing, Dr Mizzi noted.
Asked if A & E was designed to have two extra floors built on it, Dr Mizzi said the structure is not even suitable for its current use, but will wait for the inquiry report to get all the answers.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne said the previous government was planning to build additional wards on top of A & E.
In a statement, Mr St John categorically rejected the insinuations made by Minister Konrad Mizzi. "They are unfounded and malicious and I reserve the right to take legal action," he said.
"My record at the Foundation for Medical Services (“FMS”) speaks for itself and was always driven by the principles of ethics and good governance.
"It is deplorable that Konrad Mizzi attempts to tarnish my reputation simply because I am now the CEO of Medialink Communications. This, when just yesterday, the Arup report - commissioned by Government - gave a clean bill of health to the Mater Dei Hospital Oncology Centre which was designed and built during my tenure as CEO of FMS.
"Also, the chronology of facts refute Konrad Mizzi's insinuations. I resigned my FMS post on the 30th May 2014. The inquiry started in September 2014 - 4 months later - at which point my relationship with the FMS had ceased. Thus, I could not have withheld any information from anyone. Incidentally I never held a key to any safe at the FMS."
The Nationalist Party also entered the fray to defend its chief executive officer.
In a statement,the PN said that the government is trying to deflect attention from the fact that it has a whole movement against it for deciding to give away pristine land in Marsascala to a Jordanian investor for a new university to be built.
When Joseph Muscat has his back to the wall, he throws mud at others, the PN said.
This is the second time that Konrad Mizzi is reacting in such a way. It happened to George Pullicino after it became clear that the government would not have been able to complete the power station in two years as it had promised before the election.