The Gozo General Hospital will have employed all the required doctors and specialists by 15 August, coincidentally just in time for Gozo’s busy Santa Marija weekend, government sources have told The Malta Independent.

It is believed that there are currently seven consultants who are currently in the pipeline.

This comes after it was reported that patients at the hospital would be hit by delays as a result of the shortage of doctors.

The newsroom had previously been informed that bickering over selection committees between the Office of the Prime Minister and the Health Ministry had been partly to blame for the lack of recruitment of doctors and specialists for the GGH. The Health Ministry has insisted that there was no disagreement, with sources explaining that the recruitment process, which falls under the government’s remit, often takes months across all sectors.

In comments to this newsroom, a health ministry spokesperson said the process was at an “advanced stage”, further explaining that “applications have been received, the selection boards have been appointed and interviews are scheduled to be held over the next few days.”

“There is no, nor was there ever, disagreement on this matter,” the spokesperson said.

The Medical Association of Malta (MAM) was also queried about its position on the matter, and although it emphasised that doctors from Mater Dei have their own duties to fulfil, pointed out that they are ready to go the extra mile to help their colleagues in Gozo.

In spite of this, at a certain point it’s up to the government and Steward to make sure the hospital is adequately staffed, the association said.

Steward Global Health System began managing the Gozo General Hospital, along with Karin Grech and St Luke’s hospitals, Barts Medical School earlier this year after acquiring the concessions for Vitals Global Healthcare, who sold it 21 months after its start of operations.