A new 200-bed state-of-the-art private hospital will be built at Smart City in Xgħajra, The Sunday Times of Malta can reveal.
The investment, which runs into millions of euros, will be made through a new investment company with Maltese and Italian interests and will include the strategic partnership of Johnsons and Johnsons, one of the largest worldwide companies in the health sector.
The government last night confirmed the deal will be signed in the coming days.
The investment is of “a totally private nature” backed by top international players, creating a very specific approach to healthcare excellence in the Mediterranean, a spokesman from the Office of the Prime Minister said.
“The investors have roped in a multinational strategic partner as well as a number of top-notch, well-known Italian and other European surgeons, targeting medical tourism.”
The hospital will operate mainly in the field of orthopaedics with specialists excelling in all forms of treatment.
The investors have roped in a multinational strategic partner as well as a number of top-notch European surgeons
“Government, in line with its pro-investment and business policy, facilitated the foreign direct investment of a new international private hospital. This strengthens further the government’s vision of making the medical tourism industry another economic niche.”
Sources confirmed that the deal involves selling large tracts of land at Smart City to a private company to develop the hospital and medical facility at the ICT City in Xgħajra.
No plans have yet been submitted to the planning authority but detailed plans have already been drawn up by a leading local architecture firm and informal discussions have been held with Mepa for the eventual fast-tracking of the necessary permits.
According to the sources, this new health investment in Malta was attracted to the island by the private sector and has been in the offing for the last year.
Details of the deal have until now been kept under wraps, with the OPM last night insisting that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was not involved in any signing of any deal.
Sources said instructions were given by the Office of the Prime Minister not to divulge any information about the deal yet as Dr Muscat would have liked to use the “positive investment” news closer to the April 11 local elections.
Last week, the Prime Minister announced a €200 million private investment to transform the Gozo General Hospital and St Luke’s into medical hubs and the building of a new medical school by Barts in Gozo. A call for private investment in this project still has to be issued by the government.
It was also recently announced that Saint James Capua Hospital in Sliema was sold to an American company.
A consultant said the government will have to allow foreign doctors and nurses into the field if it intended to make Malta a hub in medical tourism.
Originally, the Smart City project was intended to develop the 360,000 square-metre area into an ICT city on the same model of the Dubai Internet city. However, the company owned by Dubai-based Tecom Investments has been approaching a number of Maltese contractors and investors to sell them land to construct other blocks and apartments which may not be strictly used for ICT-related businesses.
Back in 2012, Smart City had said it was the industry norm in large projects like Smart City to co-develop the site.
According to the agreement signed with the government in 2007, the project has to be completed by 2021 and should create 5,600 jobs over its first eight years of operation.