A former IT adviser to John Dalli is the man engaged by the Health Ministry to devise a new patient administration system for Mater Dei Hospital, Times of Malta can reveal.

Mark Sammut, who had worked for Mr Dalli in Brussels, has been engaged as eHealth advisor to Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia, a spokesman for the ministry confirmed yesterday.

Asked whether it was Mr Dalli who engaged Mr Sammut’s services, the ministry said the former minister and EU commissioner does not hold any executive powers within the government. Therefore, the ministry was responsible for Mr Sammut’s engagement.

According to Dr Farrugia’s spokesman, Mr Sammut has over 20 years of experience in software development and is being paid “a standard salary”.

Asked how Mr Sammut – who owns IT company Mall Enterprises Ltd – was engaged to develop a new PAS and whether public procurement rules were followed, the spokesman said that since the “old” PAS contract was due to expire and the system had become redundant, “the ministry chose to redesign in-house and at no additional cost”.

The spokesman said the system has been finalised and “tested against all odds, and is being implemented now”, adding that the government will be saving €5 million through this exercise.

Earlier this week, Times of Malta revealed that following the start of the Mater Dei review by Mr Dalli, the government decided to scrap a €25 million IT contract and start developing a new PAS system.

In his report, Mr Dalli confirmed that it was his team – including Mr Sammut – that “immediately started to redesign and programme in-house, a new modern (PAS) system with increased functionality”.

However, the Health Ministry is now stating this was not Mr Dalli’s initiative, but its own.

Last Saturday, Mr Sammut gave a presentation as part of Mr Dalli’s team on Mater Dei’s IT sector, which he described as being “an array of scattered and isolated systems”.

Times of Malta is informed that Mr Sammut has been a long-standing associate of Mr Dalli.

Sources in the IT business yesterday described Mr Sammut as “a capable expert specialising in IT solutions for supermarkets and car park systems”.

Questions sent to Mr Dalli yesterday on his connection with Mr Sammut remained unanswered by the time of going to print.

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