Skanska paying for scrapped labs

Hospital contractor Skanska will be paying for the overhaul of the microbiology laboratories at Mater Dei Hospital, which were completely dismantled because they were not up to standard.

The labs, known as containment level three (CL-3), and which are worth over €1 million, were completely dismantled in November after they were found not to meet the exacting standards reserved for this level of facilities. They had had everything, from ventilation systems and air-conditioning to doors, floors and even drains removed.

The labs are specially designed and built to control the exposure of laboratory workers to hazardous substances being tested inside. But the ones at Mater Dei, used to test blood and other bodily fluids for infectious diseases, could not be sterilised properly given the way they had been built.

The head of pathology, Christopher Barbara, said he did not want to risk the safety of the workers with a substandard lab. "I wanted these labs to have the highest Level 3 specifications and be 100 per cent safe."

The acting CEO of the Foundation for Medical Services, Brian St John, said that Skanska, the contractor entrusted with the hospital's construction, assumed full responsibility and is redoing the labs from scratch. During an onsite visit around the labs last week, Mr St John said the management realised that the labs were not up to standard before the migration period in November 2007.

"They were closed off and negotiations with Skanska started. They accepted responsibility and the dismantling work started in November," he said.

Work is slightly ahead of schedule and it is expected to be ready by July, Mr St John said.

Mater Dei Hospital Design & Build requirements demanded that the laboratories be compliant with bio-hazard level 3 specifications as defined by international guidelines. However, the dismantled labs could not even be sterilised through fumigation, for instance, because the ducts leading out of the room were not sealed off.

Since all the specifications formed part of the hospital's Build & Design requirements, Skanska accepted responsibility.

The problem with the labs was the latest in a series of design and building flops with the €470 million state-of-the-art hospital, once described by Social Policy Minister John Dalli as a "part time hospital".

The Sunday Times yesterday revealed that the hospital has a fully-equipped IVF laboratory which is not being used because the costly treatment for infertile couples is not yet available on the national health service.