Delayed Paola Hub hospital to start offering ‘some services by summer’

The long-delayed Paola Hub for healthcare services is now expected to open partially this summer, the Health Minister has told parliament — though full operation remains elusive, three years after the €40 million facility was originally scheduled to welcome patients.

Despite repeated assurances and significant investment through EU funding, the planned local hospital remains closed, lacking the necessary certification to operate fully.

In response to a parliamentary question by Opposition health spokesperson Adrian Delia, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela acknowledged that work at the site is ongoing and that full certification has not yet been obtained.

Nevertheless, the Minister indicated that limited services would begin over the summer, without specifying a date for the facility’s full launch.

Minister Abela also conceded that remedial works are underway due to construction defects, including water leaks at multiple levels, as well as the replacement of external tiles and guttering, further compounding delays.

The Paola Hub project, overseen by the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS), has been marred by missed deadlines, cost overruns, and controversy.

Launched in 2017 with the backing of substantial EU funds, the hub was initially scheduled to become operational in 2022. That deadline slipped repeatedly, most recently to the summer of 2024 — a target that has once again been missed.

Just days before last year’s European Parliament elections in June 2024, Prime Minister Robert Abela toured the site with the press in tow, declaring the facility “ready” and promising it would open “within weeks”.

In January, the government terminated its contract with the original contractors, citing poor workmanship and persistent delays.

Since then, the Health Ministry has issued a series of direct orders, invoking emergency provisions to press ahead with completion works — at an additional cost of €1.7 million. These emergency works are still ongoing.