Health services crisis: Karin Grech instead of promised medical school

The government’s failed grand health plan, which included a new Medical School at the university’s Campus Hub, has now completely changed direction. The same building will most likely be used to house, for a long but temporary period, the current Karen Grech rehabilitation Hospital.

In another example of management by crisis in the sector, the Health Ministry is now planning to allocate a minimum of €16.5 million over the next five years to lease premises housing a 150-bed rehabilitation hospital, initially intended for a Medical School.

According to a tender, asking for a the leasing of a “self-contained building to house the rehabilitation hospital of Karen Grech, including its outpatients department”, Campus Hub Ltd, which owns the building destined initially for a new medical school, submitted the lowest bid and is in pole position to acquire the lucrative tender. Campus Hub is a subsidiary of the Vassallo Group.

The second bidder, but more than €3 million dearer, is Excel MJD Ltd, a company owned by the rogue Gozitan developer Joseph Portelli, along with his associates, Mark Agius, known as Ta’ Dirjanu, and Daniel Refalo.

The company owns a large building in Qormi. Still, it is unlikely to be selected due to its significantly higher offer.

So far, the Health Ministry has not disclosed where it plans to house the long-promised Medical School or whether the project has been completely abandoned.

Karen Grech’s Hospital’s future has been one of the government’s health plan Cinderellas for more than a decade.

Initially, under the watch of Health Ministers Konrad Mizzi and Chris Fearne, it formed part of a scandalous and corrupt deal through which Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) and later Stewards were bound to spend €200 million on its upgrading, together with St Luke’s and the Gozo General Hospital.

Nothing has happened since then, while the architect of the fraudulent deal, disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, is facing corruption charges in connection with the fraudulent deal.

Upon the replacement of Chris Ferane with Jo Etienne Abela, the latter announced his intention to move all Mater Dei’s outpatient services to St Luke’s and Karen Grech.

However, plans were changed again, with Karen Grech now moving out of the Pieta campus until, according to the Minister, the former hospitals will be turned into a ‘Medical village’. No concrete plans were presented on the latter.

According to the tender, Karen Grech Hospital will not be moving to Campus Hub permanently, as the lease is for five years, with the possibility of an extension for an additional five years.

Jo Etienne Abela has told unions that his long-term intention was for the rehabilitation hospital to return to Pieta as part of the so-called ‘medical village’.

No time frames or dates were given.

In 2024, Jo Etienne Abela stated that Malta required a second general hospital, similar to Mater Dei, due to a rapid and unplanned population growth.

Again, nothing concrete has been announced since then.