The list of supposed “structural flaws” at Mater Dei Hospital, ventilated by sections of the media in the past days, is nothing else than what are known as snag lists, sources close to the hospital told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

The contract signed with Skanska included a clause that for a period of one year after hand-over, any defects found had to be remedied by the contractor. This is something quite ordinary in management techniques of large-scale projects but apparently new in Malta.

The list was compiled in the days immediately preceding the handing over of the hospital to FMS. Officers from FMS and Skanska walked around and tried everything. It was then that some snags became evident, such as doors that did not close properly, lifts that functioned with some difficulty, and so on.

The list contains some 80 reports of faults that are being put right, hospital sources said.