Only a year away from its official opening, the massive Mater Dei Hospital is close to completion and everything is moving along according to the established deadlines, parliamentary secretary at the Ministry of Finance Tonio Fenech said yesterday.
Speaking at a press conference inside the new hospital’s grand entrance hall, Mr Fenech said that all was being done to provide the best standards in health care for the whole of the country.
He also brushed aside comments that the new hospital’s annual running costs would in some way considerably imperil the public purse adding that the Lm40 million capital expenditure that is being spent every year will now cease to be when the hospital opens on 1 July 2007.
Mr Fenech said that the agreement signed by the government with Skanska in November 2004 had provided a capping of expenses up to Lm145 million and this was very much on target.
He said that a total of over 46 million euros had been purchased out of the 62 million medical equipment contract signed with INSO spa.
Asked by The Malta Independent whether the allegations regarding installed equipment that had been left abandoned were true, the parliamentary secretary said that he was not aware that such instances had occurred.
However, he acknowledged that there was a “snag list” being compiled but this was normal for such huge projects.
Mr Fenech revealed that Skanska Malta JV had yesterday passed over the Department of Information Technology building to the Foundation for Medical Services. Other work which is at an advanced stage includes the final touches on the concourse and main lobby, the utility block and the various operating theatres.
The Outpatients Depart-
ment and the first six wards in the main block are also close to completion with the installation of furniture and medical equipment to commence shortly, the parliamentary secretary said.
He explained that the tender for all the food catering had been adjudicated and was won by the JSBZ consortium that would begin providing daily meals to all the patients in the hospital. This is hugely different from the current operation at St Luke’s Hospital where all the food is prepared at an in-house kitchen.
Asked on the status of the migration plan from St Luke’s to Mater Dei, Mr Fenech said that this was in its final stages, confirming that the government preferred a short timeframe for the eventual changeover. He also confirmed that St Luke’s and Boffa Hospital would cease to function after Mater Dei was up and running.
Mr Fenech said that the running costs for the new hospital were expected to be more than what was currently being undertaken as the government had chosen not to cut corners and was installing the best state-of-the-art facilities for its patients.
However, the hospital was also equipped with numerous energy-saving features and this would go a long way towards reducing consumption, he added.
Asked on the consultation between medical bodies and the government, Mr Fenech insisted that all stakeholders were deeply involved in the eventual choice of equipment and hospital design.
After the press conference, Mr Fenech and the press also had the opportunity to tour the IT area where Ing. Ray Piscopo provided a brief description of work currently ongoing.
The press also visited the Radiology Department where Ing. Karl Farrugia explained the various technical and practical aspects of the department.