The Vitals Deal has proven to be a bad deal, Partit Demokratiku said today, adding that the party had always been against the "incredible consent of OPM Castile to the complete takeover of the services provided by three of our five public hospitals".

“There is more to this than meets the eye. Who is accountable for the mess?” asked PD MEP candidate Anthony Buttigieg.

It is a bad deal because it is against public interests and because of revelations of pro-shady business deals by The Shift News. PD notes that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Dr Chris Fearne has always distanced himself from the OPM-Vitalis deal, to the extent that he re-negotiated a fresh understanding with Stewart Healthcare when the latter took over from Vitalis.

“We are still in for a bumpy ride. The way Gozo General Hospital is run and is delivering a health care service falls short of public’s needs. Health care personnel at this hospital are at a loss who to turn to. Is it the Ministry or Steward Healthcare? They cannot make heads or tails,” Buttigieg said.

“No matter how strong a nation's economy is, free health care provision may be a bottomless pit if caution is not guaranteed. This Public Private Partnership does not give us reassurance. A National Health Care System Strategy has to be addressed by robust projections,” stated ex-Minister of Health and PD Party Leader Godfrey Farrugia.

The public purse has been depleted without the promised results being realized. Our legislative framework is proving to be permeable when it comes to enforcing transparency and accountable measures.

PD said it is of the opinion that our politics needs to be fired-up by honourable intentions, if any legal framework we opt to have in place is to serve its purpose.