Italian firm to get €2.3m contract to review plans for the Vitals hospitals

Italian consultancy firm Italconsult has been tasked with a €2.3 million contract to scrutinise master plans for St Luke’s, Karin Grech and Gozo General hospitals.

The Italian firm will be expected to review master plans that have been developed for the hospitals, proposing changes and bringing them up to speed.

Italconsult will be awarded the contract through a negotiated procedure, a form of public procurement in which companies are approached directly and invited to bid for a contract.

A spokesperson for the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS) said Italconsult was approached “following a rigorous evaluation process during which several European firms specialising in healthcare infrastructure were reviewed”. 

“A range of factors were considered, including relevant international experience, logistical capacity and technical expertise,” the spokesperson added.

According to FMS, work on the master plan is expected to last nine months.

“The master plan will respond to today’s operational requirements and the current healthcare landscape,” the spokesperson said, promising that it will “address service demands, evolving clinical priorities and contemporary healthcare standards”.

Last week, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela told parliament that a master plan for Gozo’s hospital “is being scrutinised by an expert Italian company so we can start issuing tenders next year”.

The same company is also evaluating a master plan for St Luke’s and Karin Grech hospitals, Abela said.

Italconsult describes itself as a “global design, engineering and project management” consultancy working on over 90 projects worldwide, from sports stadiums to major transport, energy and environmental projects, among other things.

According to sources, the firm has also led works on healthcare facilities in Verona, with authorities hoping to leverage its experience on those projects in Malta.

The master plans will outline the future plans for the hospitals, all of which were previously part of a concession agreement with Steward Health Care. The government reclaimed the three hospitals in 2023, after a Maltese court annulled the concession, finding collusion in its award.

Last year, Abela had floated the idea of turning the Guardamangia area that includes St Luke’s and Karin Grech hospitals into a “health village”, with all non-clinical services moved out of Mater Dei Hospital.

Earlier this year, a €16.5 million tender to lease a building for a rehabilitation hospital which would house patients from Karin Grech Hospital was issued.

Meanwhile, new plans for the redevelopment of the Gozo hospital were announced last year, with works set to last between five and seven years.