Some 15 patients in Gozo will have to wait for their CT scan appointment until the machine at the general hospital is repaired.

According to a spokesperson for Steward Health Care, the US company that runs the Gozo hospital, the machine was due for its “routine preventive maintenance”, which indicated “a main electronic component needed replacement”.

About 15 patients have had to have their appointments postponed as a result, the spokesperson said, adding the faulty part is expected to be replaced this week.

All the patients have been “duly notified”.

A betrayal of Maltese people- Adrian Delia

Gozo shadow minister Chris Said noted the government was paying “millions from people’s taxes” to a private company so that it could provide the small island with a state-of-the-art hospital. Instead, he said, the service was getting worse.

Steward Health Care’s running of the Gozo Hospital, as well as St Luke’s and Karin Grech hospitals, have been making headlines since the company took over the 30-year concession from VGH in 2017.

The investors failed to raise the required financing, prompting unions and the Opposition to fume over lack of progress at the three hospitals.

Questions on the nature of the deal with VGH have also been raised as Steward reportedly continue to try negotiating more favourable terms for the concession.

In April, during a debate on an Opposition motion in Parliament demanding the hospitals be handed back to the state, Prime Minister Robert Abela declared the government had not yet ruled out revoking the hospitals contract.

The motion was shot down by Labour MPs, a move Opposition leader Adrian Delia described as “a betrayal of Maltese people”.

He pledged the PN would continue fighting in court to get the hospitals back and would support the government if it too wanted to do so.