Only around 15 per cent of Barts medical school's activities will take place at Mater Dei Hospital, according to the school's dean of education.
Anthony Warrens yesterday told Times of Malta the medical school's operations would have a minimal impact on the state hospital.
Medical students have long been voicing concerns that the clinical resources available to them at Mater Dei will be stretched if another set of students starts vying to study patients and use the space in wards.
Prof. Warrens yesterday said that although a medical school would have to depend to some extent on the State hospital, this would be kept to a minimum.
A joint committee was set up between the medical school and the University of Malta to hash out the details and reach an amicable agreement, he said. He also met recently with the university pro-rectorship to discuss details how it would work.
Dependence on Mater Dei will be kept to a minimum
Prof. Warrens was fielding questions at a press conference to announce the beginning of demolition works on the school's medical campus in Gozo.
The Barts medical school will form part of the Gozo General Hospital complex when Vitals Global Healthcare redevelops it into a state-of-the-art facility.
VGH was awarded a concession by the government to develop and run the hospital in Gozo and St Luke’s and Karin Grech in Malta.
The public-private partnership will see VGH promoting private medical tourism while selling a number of beds to the government for use in the public health service.
The medical school was to open its doors last September, but delays in the project pushed the first student intake to September 2017.
Hospital CEO Nadine Galea assured the audience that the works had not impacted patients or the running of the hospital in any way.
Gozo sixth form students this week said they were in the dark about a temporary relocation of the school to their campus.
Asked about this, Prof. Warrens said that he had met with the college’s head to discuss using “a few rooms” in the sixth form college.
After an agreement was reached, Barts students had started attending classes in the building, he said.