PN MP and former leader Adrian Delia has been accused of deliberately omitting “key projects and investments” made in the last years in the three hospitals which are currently run by Steward Health Care after the granting of a controversial concession. 

In a press conference two days ago, Delia presented a projects report which was presented by Steward as part of court proceedings which Delia has opened against the concession, with the former PN leader saying that the report was an example of how Steward had not followed their obligations and how their concession should be rescinded. 

Steward themselves however have hit back at Delia, saying in a statement that the “report must be reviewed in its entirety and not on a selective basis.” 

“Delia’s deliberate act of omitting key projects and investments made in the last years in the three hospitals does not do justice to the hard work of Steward’s team and its stakeholders,” the company said. 

They said that the report was presented in court to demonstrate the significant amount of work and many millions invested by Steward to upgrade services, infrastructure and equipment at the hospitals. 

Steward expressed its belief that “both the large, significant and more visible projects outlined below as well as the so called “smaller” projects quoted by Dr Delia are equally important when running a hospital” and that the report does not even include other capital and day-to-day operational expenditure as part of Steward’s responsibility. 

Steward gave a list of the projects which Delia did not mention in his press conference. 

With regards to the Gozo General Hospital campus, Steward said that Delia had excluded, the state-of-the-art Barts and the London School of Medicine (QMUL), complete with an ancillary Anatomy Centre, the refurbishment and upgrades of the Emergency department, Outpatients department including a new dental clinic, a new laboratory as well as a new Orthopaedic Ward, and technical and engineering upgrades such as the operating theatre automatic climatisation and new medical gases infrastructure including the replacement of the main vacuum plant, medical air plant as well as the main oxygen plant which can now provide the hospital with an autonomous and continued supply of oxygen for a period of four to six weeks. 

On Karin Grech Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital, Steward said that Delia had not mentioned the upgrade of the Physiotherapy Department, the overhaul of the Stroke Unit, a new Orthotics and Prosthetics Unit (OPU), and an investment in the hospitals’ transportation facilities via a new fleet of vehicles including an emergency response car, patient transportation coaches, as well as the introduction of a 24/7 air ambulance service between Malta and Gozo. 

The company also said that a number of Covid-19 related investments had been made, amongst these being: the expansion of GGH’s capacity by an additional 120 beds, including the possibility to flex up to 25 COVID-19 ICU beds complete with ventilator setup, the number of ventilators in GGH increased to an unprecedented 25 units, thanks to Steward’s international supply chain, and a new additional 28-bed ward complete with negative pressure and the required air changes. 

“These achievements prove Steward’s ongoing commitment to improve the quality of its services for the benefit of patients, staff and the communities it serves,” the company said.