The four companies which supplied the concrete for the building of Mater Dei Hospital – which, it has now been found, is weaker than the contract specifications – will not be automatically blacklisted from the tender process for the repair work, parliamentary secretary for health Chris Fearne said today.
The government has written to the Attorney General for advice on the matter. It will be up to the AG’s office to determine whether these companies will be prohibited from taking part in the tender process and other government contracts. The suppliers of the cement for the hospital were Mixer Ltd (owned by John Dalli's brother Bastjan), Blockrete Ltd, Davlands Ltd and Maghtab Ltd.
He said that the government will be seeking all ways for all the companies responsible for the work at Mater Dei Hospital to pay for the damages.
Mr Fearne, standing in front of a group of hospital staff, said employees felt “let down and cheated” by those responsible for building a hospital that was below expectations and below that these workers deserved. This was also a matter of health and safety which affected not only the workers but also patients and visitors. Mr Fearne said he will be sending all hospital staff an email explaining the timeline of repair works.
Engineering firm Arup has asked the government for three months to present its remedial designs for the A&E Department. That would be followed up by a tender process, which normally lasts around four months, meaning that the actual works would start in early 2016. With regards the other affected areas, including Block D, the company will be presenting the concrete test results in two months’ time and the works are expected to start late in 2016. Works at the A&E Department have been estimated at some €5 million by Arup while the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS) has given a preliminary estimate of €35 million for the whole project.
Mr Fearne said €35 million was no small sum. It would cost the same amount by which the government had reduced energy tariffs for households or the construction of the new cancer hospital. “We will not give up and will be seeking all avenues to recoup the money spent on repairs from those responsible.” Asked if the concrete suppliers would be sued for damages, Dr Fearne said everything would be considered by the Attorney General.
Asked if it was ethical to use hospital workers for a press conference to score political points, Mr Fearne said the government wanted to show solidarity with these workers. It is not clear if the workers, who were in uniform, were on duty at the time.