As it has already been stated, on completion of the project there will be over 6,000 doors that would have been installed in the Mater Dei Hospital, out of which approximately 950 are fire-rated steel doors.

In the initial “pre-construction designs” submitted by Skanska Malta J.V. (SMJV) to the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS) in late 1999, provision was made for 464 fire doors, the target value of which was Lm112,700.

However, during the design process, the foundation was not satisfied with the level of compliance of such designs to international fire safety standards. On the FMS’s insistence with the Skanska Malta J.V., the design of the hospital had to be reviewed in order to ensure conformity to international fire safety standards. This design change resulted in an increase in the number of fire-doors from 464 to 967, and a related increase in cost from Lm112,700 to Lm585,000.

The FMS said it acted out of duty to ensure the highest safety standards in the interest of the Maltese people. Likewise it was the Prime Minister’s (and Minister of Finance’s) duty to ask for an explanation as to how the number of 464 fire-rated steel doors indicated in the “pre-construction designs” of Skanska Malta J.V. was eventually increased to 950. Such planning shortcomings on the part of the contractor and the related cost increases are a matter of concern. This and similar instances were issues on the negotiations that the Ministry of Finance had with Skanska Malta J.V. in the recent weeks.

The foundation is determined to commission a state-of-the-art hospital and at the same instance ensure that the ‘value for money’ principle underpins the Mater Dei Hospital Project.