Steward Health Care receives €1.2 million per year from the government for Barts Medical School, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed on Wednesday.

Fearne provided the figure in response to a parliamentary question asked by PN MP Joseph Ellis, who asked the minister how much has been spent on the medical school in Gozo and how much the government is paying Steward Health care to run it. 

Steward Healthcare, which runs the school, also has control over St. Luke's, Karin Grech, and Gozo General hospitals.

Fearne said that infrastructure, facilities and equipment stipulated in the contract between the government and the Queen Mary University of London was built and financed by Steward Health Care Malta. 

“For this the government is paying a sum of €1.2 million per year to Steward Healthcare. The sum rises with the inflation rate, provided that it is not less than two percentage points per year,” said Fearne.

Times of Malta had first revealed the annual €1.2 million fee charged for the school back in 2017. 

When asked about the ground rent, Fearne said that Steward Health Care pays the government €525,000 per year for the land.

He said that the government also intends to build a helipad on the new building of the Gozo General Hospital.

The government is currently mulling the future of its deal with Steward Health Care, with ministers having been presented with plans to take back control of the three state hospitals currently run by the US medical giants.