Updated 10pm with Steward statement
Steward Healthcare will be "abandoning" its operation of three public hospitals almost immediately, Health Minister Chris Fearne said on Thursday.
Speaking prior to a parliament debate on the hospital's debacle, Fearne said Steward notified the government it would be pulling out this very week.
Fearne assured that the health authorities are ready to resume control of the St Luke's, Karin Grech and Gozo hospitals.
The health minister said he will leave the legal wrangling to the lawyers, as his focus remains on delivering healthcare to all patients in Malta and Gozo.
Fearne said staff at all three hospitals will be retained.
In a statement on Thursday morning, Steward announced that it has submitted a termination notice under the hospital services concession agreement due to "non-rectifiable defaults on the part of the government of Malta".
"The company believes that the operating environment and investment climate in Malta is not conducive for foreign companies to have a constructive partnership with the government," it said.
A court earlier this month annulled the concession agreement after declaring it fraudulent.
Steward has appealed the verdict. A side agreement to the concession agreement, also annulled by the court, had provided for compensation of €100 million to Steward if the concession was to end and the government had not met its obligations.
Steward said its priority remained the wellbeing and treatment of its patients and the welfare of its staff.
However, it did not give an exact timeline for when it intends to leave.
"SHCM will ensure that there is an orderly transition of the management of its operations and will work with the relevant authorities in good faith to ensure this is finalised in a reasonable timeframe," it said.
Steward pledges an 'orderly transition'
In a statement late on Thursday, Steward reiterated its commitment to the "orderly transition of the hospitals to new management".
"We remain under a duty and owe to our patients to comply with the service concession agreement terms relating to an orderly handover, which we are adhering to. The health and well-being of our patients remain our primary priority throughout this process.
"We are disappointed at yet another misrepresentation by the Government of Malta of SHCM’s actions; this false representation of SHCM ‘abandoning’ the hospitals simply acts as yet another warning of the Government’s unreliability as a partner to other foreign companies considering investing in Malta."