The Malta Chamber has demanded clarifications about why prime minister Joseph Muscat was involved in a meeting between Steward Healthcare and the government.

Malta Today and The Malta Independent on Sunday reported on Sunday how Dr Muscat turned up to lobby his successor Robert Abela and Health Minister Chris Fearne to re-negotiate the lucrative hospitals' contract taken over by Steward Health Care from Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH).

Doctors told Times of Malta they were "disappointed" by Dr Muscat's involvement in the meeting. A government spokesman insisted that the former prime minister was "not negotiating on behalf of a private company", but did not say why Dr Muscat attended the meeting. 

On Tuesday, the Chamber of Commerce said that it felt the government should "focus on how to maximise efficiencies from this controversial deal, especially in the light of the great expense this has been so far to the public coffers".

It added that at a time when the country was struggling to clean its name and engage in procedures to improve good governance, such speculation did not help.

“This may risk prolonging the cleaning process which will certainly result to be detrimental. “

Ethical businesses and the Maltese public required a clear clarification on this matter to pursue on the expected inspiration and hope to a determinate way forward towards the common good, it said.