Parliament’s health committee to examine hospital contracts

The parliamentary committee on health matters has approved a request raised by shadow health minister Claudette Buttigieg urging members of parliament to examine the hospital contracts signed between Vitals Global Healthcare and the government.

The sitting members of the committee, which is chaired by backbencher Etienne Grech, were informed of the decision on Tuesday.

Buttigieg’s request, filed on November 9, requested the health committee to discuss the 30-year concession granted to VGH to run St Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital.

Government accepts Opposition request: Parliamentary #Health Committee to discuss hospital PPP contracts in the coming weeks.

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) November 25, 2016

As a result of the agreements signed, Vitals took over the management of the three hospitals.

Buttigieg has insisted that “a stench of corruption” surrounded the deal. To back up her argument, the Nationalist MP had said that VGH was registered as a Maltese company a few days before then health minister Konrad Mizzi had announced VGH as one of the preferred bidders in May 2015.

Health Minister Chris Fearne has defended the deal, saying that the government was taking the necessary decisions for Malta and Gozo to have “a world-class healthcare system”. The agreement, he said, would breathe new life into the three hospitals, granting patients access to free and high quality healthcare.