Former Steward Healthcare president on health ministry payroll

Nadine Delicata, the former president of Steward Healthcare Malta, has been appointed as a consultant to the Health Ministry – a decision that is raising fresh concerns given her leadership role in the hospitals concession that was later struck down by the courts.

The Shift has confirmed that Delicata, who hails from Gozo like Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, has been engaged for several months. The government has not announced her appointment.

Minister Abela did not reply to questions on Delicata’s engagement. Delicata herself did not respond when asked to clarify her responsibilities or whether she stood by her past criticism of the government over its handling of the concession.

In an opinion article in The Times of Malta following VGH’s collapse, she sharply criticised both the company and the government for leaving VGH “unattended with a massive amount of taxpayer money” and failing to oversee its performance properly.

Her reengagement comes as the government continues a protracted legal battle with Steward over the 30-year deal for the running of three public hospitals, which the court has declared “fraudulent”.

The authorities are seeking to recoup hundreds of millions of euro in public funds paid to Steward and its predecessor, Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH), for projects that were never delivered.

Delicata held senior positions in both VGH and Steward. She joined VGH shortly after the concession was agreed in 2015 under then prime minister Joseph Muscat.

She served as deputy chief executive of the Gozo General Hospital and later as vice-president of VGH. When the government transferred the concession to Steward in 2018, Delicata became president of Steward Malta, overseeing operations at St Luke’s, Karin Grech and the Gozo General Hospital.

Her tenure coincided with the disbursement of significant public funds, yet without meaningful upgrades to Malta’s public health infrastructure. Although former Steward executives Armin Ernst and Ram Tumuluri now face criminal charges linked to the concession, no charges have been brought against Delicata.

During the Steward era, Delicata publicly defended the concession, calling it a “quality leap” for Maltese healthcare – assertions later contradicted by court findings and the lack of tangible progress.