The government must rebuild parts of the Cospicua Home for the Elderly because of faulty construction methods and because the concrete used in the ceiling “is not even fit for a simple pavement”, Jo Etienne Abela told Times of Malta.

“There is so much wrong that went into the building of this care home that I wouldn’t know where to start,” the minister for active ageing said.

“The consistency of the concrete seems to be very patchy and substandard. Especially in the upper floors, the ceiling’s concrete is grade C11-13. I am reliably told it should be much, much stronger. It should be at least C30 for ceilings and columns, C40 if a building is right beside the coast, like the Cospicua Home.

“In essence, the concrete in the ceiling at this home is not even fit for a simple pavement, which should be C20.”

Pictures sent to Times of Malta showed chunks of concrete that fell off the ceiling. The pictures were taken when the new fire-alarm system was installed last year, the minister said.

“When the workmen were trying to clip in the wiring, the ceiling was not only chipping away, it was literally just coming apart.  Consternation quickly turned into revulsion,” he said.

The home at the heart of Cottonera houses 128 elderly people and the government is set to shut it down for extensive refurbishment. But residents, who have been asked to relocate, are not too happy about it.

Last week, they even hung bedsheets from the balcony with messages such as “we are not leaving here” and “the elderly are not disposable” written on them.

Abela insists that, although he understands that residents have become attached to a place they have lived in for many years, the works should be carried out as soon as possible before the structure becomes too dangerous for everyone inside it.

In replies to Times of Malta questions, Abela said he saw reports on the home and was briefed about it and was “shocked”. The situation of the concrete at the home is on the same lines of the Mater Dei Hospital concrete saga, “only worse”, he said. In 2015, just seven years after the new hospital was opened, defective concrete had been found in several parts of the hospital, including the car park.

“Concrete quality seems to have been the last thing on the Nationalist government’s mind that built it. Is this the best the Nationalist government had to offer the good people of the Three Cities?”

I will not wait for someone to get hurt

In his replies, Abela was unclear, however, on how exactly the government plans to refurbish the building and whether it will be demolished and rebuilt altogether. No Planning Authority application for the works has been filed yet.

He said that, before considering demolition and rebuilding, the priority is the health and safety of residents and staff, and the standards of care.

When asked why there is currently no PA application for the Cospicua Home planned works, Abela said it is the Active Ageing and Community Care Department that runs services in care homes. Cabinet approval was obtained last January and government studies confirm that the best option is a “demolish-design-build-operate-maintain strategy in a public-private partnership”.

“I am confident that the tender will be published this year as the tendering process has been at the Department of Contracts since January,” he said.

Jo Etienne Abela said that when workmen were trying to clip a new fire-alarm system to the ceiling, chunks of the concrete fell off.

Abela also said he is “deeply troubled” by residents’ discomfort to relocate to another home, saying he feels for them and their loved ones, and that the government was “torn between doing the right thing as soon as possible and doing it gently and without causing panic”.

“I pledge that we will do our best to relocate to neighbouring, quasi-familiar areas,” he said, adding that the upgrade of all government homes was an electoral manifesto pledge.

“In order to mitigate travel concerns, I pledge that we will stretch and bend the recently nationalised Silver-T service, and will intercede with Transport Malta in order to meet residents’ and relatives’ needs and expectations.”

Abela reiterated that contrary to some rumours that have circulated, the government will not turn the home into a boutique hotel and pensioners will not be made to pay more for their relocation. Also, no staff member will lose their job as there is plenty of work in this sector.

“Admittedly, my career has been rather short but this sort of scaremongering turns my stomach,” he said.

Speaking in parliament last Tuesday, Abela said that the elderly do not get this service for free. They agree to forfeit 60 per cent of their pension to be able to live in a care home and some elderly in Cottonera are living in facilities akin to five-star hotels. The elderly at Cospicua Home pay just as much and it is not fair for them to live in what looks more like a hostel, he said.

“Do you honestly expect me to wait for a report that condemns the building before I do something about it? I will not wait for someone to get hurt before we do something,” he told parliament.