Government identifies site for construction of two new wards at Mater Dei

The government has already identified the site where two wards will be constructed at Mater Dei Hospital, parliamentary secretary for health Chris Fearne said.

Speaking on One Radio, the junior minister said the government identified the site this week after stress tests revealed the wards could not be constructed on top of the Accident and Emergency Department due to concrete of inferior quality used to construct the columns.

“While temporary works are ongoing to solidify the structure, we have now identified a new site for the two wards. Site plans are being drafted as we speak which will be submitted to MEPA for approval,” Fearne said.

Fearne added that concrete used to build the columns at Mater Dei’s A&E transpired to be of far inferior quality than that stipulated in the contracts signed under the Nationalist administration.

The discovery was made while infrastructural work to construct two cubicles for doctors was being carried out the A&E.

Fearne insisted that political, technical and commercial responsibility had to be shouldered: “Responsibility has to be shouldered. It is unacceptable that €600 million state-of-the-art was developed and then we discover this.”

Fearne went on to question how a tender for the construction of a helipad was issued in 2011, following comments made by former finance minister Tonio Fenech earlier this week.

In comments to The Times of Malta, Fenech said he was not completely surprised that the A&E department could not carry additional weight. On the other hand, former health minister Joe Cassar said the news took him by surprise.

“If Tonio Fenech knew the structure could not take the weight, why didn’t he tell Joe Cassar?” Fearne said.

He added that if Fenech knew, then he should have at least informed the present government as plans to build on the emergency department were well-known.