Cynthia Busuttil
Hospital labs deemed below standard
A container used in the past days to store the material from four specialised laboratories that were dismantled after they were found to be below the desired standards. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier
Four specialised laboratories at Mater Dei Hospital costing millions of euros are being dismantled after they were found not to be up to required standards, just a year after the hospital opened its doors, The Times has learned.
The four containment level three (CL-3) labs are being literally torn apart and having everything, from ventilation systems and air-conditioning to doors, floors and even drains, removed after they were found not to meet the exacting standards reserved for this level of labs.
It is understood that the labs had not yet been paid for and were never used.
The Health Ministry confirmed that prima facie the four laboratories "did not visibly comply with exacting criteria normally and unconditionally associated with CL-3 facilities" but would give little more information at this stage.
Sources said, however, that Skanska, the contractor entrusted with the hospital's construction, will be footing the bill for the overhaul while the equipment bought for the labs - used by the bacteriology and virology departments - will be reused.
Containment laboratories are specially designed and built in a way to control the exposure of laboratory workers to substances.
According to London's Imperial College, CL-3 labs have two physical layers of containment, with the primary barrier containing the hazard at source and the secondary barrier protecting both the worker and those outside the laboratory.
The labs in question are used to test blood culture, sputum and tuberculosis, cerebrospinal fluid and aspirates and for tissue control.
Answering questions by The Times, the ministry said the labs were assessed by hospital laboratory staff together with the Foundation for Medical Services and visiting specialists from Rome's Lazzaro Spallanzani Hospital, which deemed them not to be up to standard. An independent specialist company was called in to inspect the labs, so far unused.
It said the foundation will be "uncompromising" in ensuring that what was contracted is delivered.
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Enzo Caruana
Dec 3rd 2008, 20:33
Wake up guys and do not try to condone this scandal. Yes it is a scandal if you consider the delays and the incresing costs involved to finish Mater Dei. Are you forgetting the man hours involved to put these now uselss labs in place? Are you forgetting all the fanfare about Mater Dei being state of the art. Well these labs were definitely not state of the art.
@Paul Bartlett
Mater Dei was opened more than a year ago and it took the authorities that long to discover that they had been had. Don't you think that some questions have to be asked on this score?
@ A Brincat
I do not think that Italian hospitals as a measure and the least said on this the better. Yes I do watch Striscia la Notizia and God forbid if we should reach the point when we console ourselves with such comparisons. Should we be that thankful for the PN for coming up with the idea to build a new hospital or should we ask more questions about how much taxpayers' money went down the drain because of bad planning, delays and other inefficiencies due to bad management of the project
David Stephen Ganado
Dec 3rd 2008, 12:45
It is incredible how so many people jump at the opportunity to write in to complain without first checking thier facts!
@ P. Sapiano - The article actually specifies that not only was the work and equipment related to these labs, not paid for, but it was the way the labs were built/set up that were not up to standard. Please re-read the article and note that the equipment will be re-used and any expense involved in sorting out the problem is to be paid by the contractor, so whatever amount of man hours are needed will not cost the Govt. anything.
How much more transparency do you need to convince yourself!
P. Cassar
Dec 3rd 2008, 12:32
Shouldn't all this have happened a year ago when a state of the art was the buzz word. Let's hope that this does not happen in other departments. Where was the work of the labs being carried out?
A Brincat
Dec 3rd 2008, 11:51
@Enzo Caruana
Have you ever seen the state of Italian Hospitals on "Stricia la Notizia" !!! Mater Dei is heaven compored to most Italian Hospitals. If you don't like it don't use!!!!
Most of you "PL" can't accept the fact that the PN came up with the idea of a new hospital!!!!
P Sapiano
Dec 3rd 2008, 11:51
The Health Ministry confirmed that prima facie the four laboratories "did not visibly comply with exacting criteria normally and unconditionally associated with CL-3 facilities"
If they were visibly substandard, why were they accepted and fixed in the first place? They should have been rejected and sent back immediately. It seems to me that the authorities knew of their substandard, but for reasons only known to someone were accepted. They are claiming that they haven't been paid yet, but still the manhours to dismantle everything still incur a lot of expenses. More transparency is needed from the Health Ministry to be believed.
Paul Barrett
Dec 3rd 2008, 10:42
@ Enzo Caruana
This is not a scandal - this at last is a positive sign that sub-standard work will not be accepted.
From reading the article, the labs have not yet been paid for and at no extra cost will not be paid for until they have passed the stringent quality and security levels required.
Well done to whoever was responsible for insisting that they pass the tests before any payment is made.
Enzo Caruana
Dec 3rd 2008, 09:55
ACCOUNTABILITY IS THE NAME OF THE GAME!
Who is responsible for this scandal!!!