Steward’s works on hospitals ‘not at expected levels’ – Finance Minister

Updated 9.55am, adds Bernard Grech's reaction Steward Healthcare’s investment in the running of three public hospitals is “not at the levels expected”, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana has admitted. Speaking to Times of Malta after an unrelated press conference on Friday, Caruana said that although “some” renovation works had been carried out at the hospitals, more should have been done. “There is evidence of some works, but it is not what one was expecting,” Caruana said. The government handed over the running of the Karin Grech, St Luke’s and Gozo hospitals to Vitals Global Healthcare in 2015 on the promise that the private investors would spend €220 million to completely revamp the decrepit health facilities. Video: Jonathan Borg Steward Healthcare has been locked in talks with the government about improving the terms of the deal ever since taking over the contract from VGH in 2018. Caruana told Times of Malta that talks about the future of the concession were at a stalemate. He said the ball is in Steward’s court to make the first move to break the deadlock. “They have to make the necessary investments, if they cannot honour what is written in the contract, they have to decide...