The people have a right to know exactly how much was stolen from them, PN MP Adrian Delia said in Parliament during a debate over the hospitals deal.

On Thursday a parliamentary sitting took place on a PN motion calling on Parliament to condemn the hospitals deal and demand that Prime Minister Robert Abela take all necessary actions including but not limited to, instituting legal proceedings, so that the Government of Malta recovers any amount it improperly paid to Steward and Vitals Global Healthcare and/or their subsidiaries.

During his speech, Delia asked Abela how he is going to 'ask' for the €400 million back, since Stewards Healthcare announced earlier during the same day that it is pulling out of Malta.

Opening the parliamentary sitting, Delia delved into three points.

The first one being the need to know exactly how much Steward Health Care has "stolen" from the Maltese people.

Delia said that till now, the government has not presented any clear indication of the whole amount but that "from what has already been presented in court, from documents, it amounts to at least €400 million from our taxes," he said, adding that the people got nothing back.

On the second point, Delia asked the government to explain how payments to the concessionnaires were made, and to whom the money was paid. "Despite year after year of the PN advising and saying that there was clear proof of fraud, they decided to continue paying millions."

He said that today, payments leave a trail. "After the government paid millions, what did Vitals Global Healthcare and Steward Health Care do with them? Where did the money go if they didn't make the investments they were meant to make?"

On the third point, Delia asked government "who was eating" off of the money that was being paid to Steward. "Who are we going to run after to get this money back?"

The PN MP said that Steward Health Care has left the country.

Turning to the Attorney General, Delia referenced the law and said that the AG did not defend the Maltese state. "Did the AG defend Malta or did the AG defend the corrupt and those who defrauded us?"

Turning to Malta Industrial Parks, Delia reminded how it was also held responsible for not honouring its responsibility when awarding the tender to Vitals Global Healthcare "which was a company with a capital of €1000, which was to take control of a €400 million contract", to provide "world class" service.

Delia also referred to the Land commissioner together with the land authority, saying that they are also responsible. 

He also addressed the Police commissioner Angelo Gafa and asked when he was going to take action and investigate the €400 million contract.

Delia urged the government together with PL MPs to do the "what is right and vote against the those who defrauded us and vote for Malta."

We are taking care of pigeons and not patients - Stephen Spiteri on state of St Luke's hospital

PN Spokesperson for Health Stephen Spiteri also spoke and said, when referring to the state of St Luke's Hospital, saying that 'we are taking care of pigeons and not patients'

Spiteri said he has always wanted the health sector to thrive and become stronger, however added that it was left neglected by Steward Health Care, given it did not honour the contract with the government.

Earlier this month, the PN went on a tour around St Luke's Hospital where the state of the hospital was shown. There were many pigeons who entered the rooms through the multiple broken windows of the property.

 Spiteri said that the PN had since the beginning been saying that the hospitals should not be privatised but that it should be managed by the Maltese government and the Maltese.

Spiteri said that he had wanted to see the promised 450 beds at St Lukes hospital, as this would have prevented the need for multiple beds to be placed in corridors at Mater Dei hospital.

He added that since Steward did not honour any of its obligations in the past years "now we have to wait more" for the regeneration of the health care system, "for it to reach the point we wanted".

He said that the PN wants for private investments and public private partnerships to happen, however these should "result in the benefit of the public".

"Now that Steward appealed the case, we will have to wait for the sentence to come out" he said, adding that this will only lengthen the time for the health sector to reach its "peak point".