Healthcare provider Vitals denies PN allegations over ownership

The private healthcare firm that will take over the operation of three Maltese public hospitals has denied allegations by the Nationalist MPs and candidate David Thake that was keeping its ultimate beneficial owner secret.

Vitals Global Healthcare, whose owner is a BVI-registered company Bluestone Special Situation 4, said its UBO is the Singapore private investment firm Oxley Capital, whose managing partner is Mark Pawley.

“VGH has been transparent on all issues brought forward, including questions raised about UBOs and how investors in VGH first came to discover Malta as an investment opportunity. These questions have now been answered and recently published in the media,” a spokesperson said.

The company said it would take legal action to protect its reputation against fabricated stories.

“While the company understands and fully supports that major projects of national importance are subject to legal and public scrutiny, it is unacceptable that facts are twisted and fabricated stories are presented to the Maltese public to the detriment of all parties involved.”

VGH insisted that it had competed in a fair and competitive tender process, and signed a legal agreement compliant with local and international law, to upgrade and run the three hospitals with €200 million of its own resources.

“Contracts leaked to local blogs show nothing but our company’s commitment to work with the world’s best which will ultimately result in better care for the patients who seek care at our facilities,” VGH said of its contracts with healthcare providers for improved IT and systems and state of the art medical treatments.

The PN has called on the health parliamentary committee to scrutinise the contracts signed between the government and Vitals Global Healthcare that will see the latter take over management of St Luke's, Karin Grech and Gozo's General Hospital.

Citing Canadian court documents, PN election candidate and radio host David Thake warned that VGH director Ram Tumuluri was previously in charge of a Canadian hotel but quit just before it went bankrupt. He said that the documents show that he failed in his obligations to pay VAT to the Canadian authorities, that he had deleted the company's accounting records, and that he had stolen credit card deposits for guests, leaving the hotel with no cash to refund them.