A long-delayed hospital project in Paola, originally scheduled for completion in 2022, remains unfinished but is suddenly a hive of activity as Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela pushes for a partial opening in the coming days.
The Shift has learned that instructions have been issued by the Health Minister to open the two lower floors of the Paola Health Hub, despite serious concerns over the building’s readiness.
Sources indicate that the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS), led by CEO Robert Xuereb and Deputy Edgar Caruana Montaldo, is scrambling to meet the directive. Staff have reportedly been ordered to work around the clock in a bid to ensure the opening proceeds next week.
Plans for the partial inauguration had initially been set for last Monday but were once again delayed. Preparations are now being pushed to later this week or early next.
It remains unclear what services, if any, will be offered once the lower floors are opened. Insiders have revealed that the building remains significantly incomplete.
Deficiencies include misaligned fire doors, a non-operational IT network, and faulty heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
“The facility is simply not ready,” sources told The Shift. “Yet the Minister is determined to go ahead, likely due to his final commitment in Parliament.”
The Paola Health Hub has become emblematic of governmental mismanagement. Initiated in 2017 under former Health Minister Chris Fearne, the project was intended to serve as a regional hospital for southern Malta.
It has since suffered from repeated delays and cost overruns, with progress described by one insider as “glacial”.
Despite earlier declarations, including a highly publicised visit by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister Jo Etienne Abela ahead of the 2024 MEP elections, no substantial services have been launched.
In January 2025, Minister Abela announced the termination of the contract with the original suppliers, citing failure to deliver on time.
The cost of the project has ballooned well beyond the initial €40 million estimate, driven by poor workmanship and repeated reinstallation of systems.
Meanwhile, plans for a similar regional hospital in Qawra—intended to serve Malta’s northern region—have been quietly shelved, despite significant investment in preliminary planning.
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Does that mean it’s being handed over? What are the legal implications? MISKINA MALTA
Thank God it has not caved in. The only thing that works are the walls that do not move, at least.
Ministru tas sahha ma jiswiex one cent. Weghdi kemm trid u ma jwettaq xejn. Ha ntik parir. Kompli ghamel xoghol ta professur ghax hemm veru kapaci imma ministru zarma ghax I’d dipartiment tas sahha tahtek Mar il bahar.
U min se jghid li l elezzjoni mhix fil qrib? Flus lix xjuh u familji. Gym liz zghazagh. Ftahircdwar progetti li jridu jsiru qisu saru etc.
The health minister needs to clarify the situation about the certification of this facility. If this partial opening is being done without the NECESSARY CERTIFICATION, in my opinion, this FACILITY is being run without the required insurance cover of PATIENTS, equipment, and the premises itself. A clarification on this matter is appropriate at this stage.