Physiotherapy department at Karin Grech Hospital evacuated after ceilings crumble

Part of the physiotherapy department at Karin Grech Hospital was evacuated last week after sections of the building, particularly the ceilings, began to crumble and fall.

Hospital sources told The Shift that, while the Health Ministry has kept the incident out of the public eye, staff working within the department were instructed to stop seeing patients inside their clinics due to concerns that the structure of the building had become unstable.

As a result, patients who were receiving outpatient treatment at Karin Grech are now being redirected to neighbouring St Luke’s Hospital to continue their physiotherapy sessions.

Questions sent to the Health Ministry seeking confirmation of the incident and asking about measures to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare workers went unanswered.

Sources at Karin Grech Hospital said that the incident is far from isolated, describing a pattern of ongoing deterioration throughout the state rehabilitation hospital.

According to staff, ceilings and structural elements have been crumbling in a piecemeal fashion for years. They also provided The Shift with photographic evidence.

“This happens almost daily and it has become so common that we have almost given up,” healthcare workers said.

“Every time we report these incidents to the Ministry, we are told the situation will be resolved soon because the hospital will be moving to new premises. The problem is that they have been saying the same thing for at least five years.”

Karin Grech Hospital, Malta’s main state-run rehabilitation facility, operates from aging premises that have long been criticised for being unsuitable for modern healthcare delivery.

Under a government agreement signed in 2015, the hospital was meant to be closed and replaced with a state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre through private investment. However, no meaningful investment ever materialised.

Plans stalled further after Steward Health Care, which had been granted the hospitals concession, was removed following a court ruling that found the concession awarded by Labour was fraudulent.

Since then, successive announcements regarding the future of Karin Grech have failed to translate into action.

Current Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has also announced plans to transfer Karin Grech Hospital.

In 2024, he stated that the facility would eventually form part of a “medical village” planned for the area currently occupied by St Luke’s Hospital. To date, however, no work has begun and the project has not progressed beyond the planning stage.

Last year, the government issued a tender for the temporary relocation of Karin Grech Hospital to alternative premises due to the deteriorating condition of the existing building. The tender closed in May but has yet to be adjudicated.

The continued uncertainty surrounding Karin Grech mirrors delays affecting other major healthcare projects announced by Minister Abela. Initiatives such as a new emergency department at Mater Dei Hospital and a new psychiatric hospital on the same campus remain at a standstill, with no visible progress or confirmed timelines.