PN presses government to release Mater Dei concrete tests
Opposition MPs raise concerns over hospital expansion, €140 million tender, state of Mount Carmel and elderly services
The Nationalist Party has questioned the government's failure to publish any test results verifying that the concrete used in Mater Dei Hospital is not defective.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, PN MP Ian Vassallo said the government keeps “playing with the issue of the concrete” at the national hospital.
He recalled that ten years ago, cracks were discovered in the concrete ceiling of the hospital’s car park. The discovery prompted a concerted drive to sue Skanska, the Swedish construction firm responsible for building the hospital.
At the time, the Labour government vowed to fight “tooth and nail” to reclaim taxpayer funds.
However, five years ago, the government withdrew its legal claim against Skanska, concluding there was no legal basis to pursue arbitration over the alleged defective concrete.
Last year, the government announced that the hospital’s emergency department would be expanded into what are currently levels 9 and 10 of the existing car park.
Vassallo pressed for answers in Parliament.
“What happened with the tests of Mater Dei? Where are they and can you pass them on?” he asked. He was told a reply would be given in a future session.
This led him to question whether the tests had ever been carried out in the first place.
"I would think that for you to say that the concrete is defective, you must have done tests. So what’s the difficulty in you giving it to us?” the Opposition MP asked.
While he acknowledged that the government is trying to expand emergency services and is providing a new ward for mental health patients, he questioned why the work has not yet begun, despite the tender closing a few months ago.
PN MP Adrian Delia also raised concerns about the cost estimates, saying the government had put an estimated €80 million price tag on the hospital upgrade project but the only bid submitted through the tender was of €140 million.
“He got it wrong almost double the amount,” Delia said of Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela.
Delia and other PN MPs also expressed concern about the state of mental health services and the condition of Mount Carmel Hospital.
Delia said the island is experiencing “a mental health pandemic,” while PN MP Stephen Spiteri added, “there is no dignity in Mount Carmel.”
Vassallo echoed this sentiment, saying that the extension is not enough. They called for a dedicated mental health facility.
Spiteri also addressed elderly care, saying older people struggle to access timely treatment. He pledged that a PN government would provide free family doctor services and prioritise elderly patients for orthopaedic surgeries.