Opposition calls Vitals deal scandalous and should have been withdrawn

The Nationalist Party has labelled the Vitals Global Healthcare deal as scandalous deal with a mysterious company which should have been revoked when it was clear that there were major shortcomings.

The Opposition's statement was made in a response to The Times of Malta report published today, which revealed that Vitals Global Healthcare has not managed to keep up with all the major aims stipulated by its contact to run the three hospitals it was given. Such aims included: contents of the hospitals including expensive medical equipment, which according to the report were sold to VGH for just €1 in March 2016. In return the private company was paid €2 billion concession to run the three hospitals: Karen Grech, St Luke's and Gozo hospitals for 30 years.

The government had earlier this year published a redacted version of the contract.

The Nationalist Party called on the government to stop hiding and to answer questions; claiming that "the scandalous sum of only one euro was hidden from the Maltese people and blacked out when the government published the contract".

According to the report, various other milestones have not been completed including: building a medical collage at the Gozo General Hospital to be used by Barts of the UK, which was to be completed by last July; additional beds at Karen Grech and St Luke's, which was meant to have been running for the past 12 months; and the introduction of 80 additional rehabilitation beds at St Luke's by last September.

The Times of Malta report also stipulates the concession has now been sold on to a US company, signed between the government and VGH. VGH is an unknown health company registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Another Times of Malta report published this week also revealed that government was in the know of Vitals sale talks three months ago. The government and VGH announced last week that the concession of the Maltese public hospital was sold to an American company called Steward Healthcare.  

from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2lpddnK
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