Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

An investigation will show who was responsible for the squandering of funds at Mater Dei Hospital, according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

During a radio phone interview from Miami on the Labour station yesterday, Dr Muscat said somebody had to shoulder responsibility for deficiencies highlighted in John Dalli’s report.

Penned by Mr Dalli, a former European Commissioner and health minister between 2008 and 2010, the report contains many instances of mismanagement and lack of accountability.

Dr Muscat said the Health Ministry was carrying out a separate investigation to determine whether the problems were a result of negligence or possibly even theft.

“This situation is unacceptable for taxpayers. We can do much more with the same amount of money,” he said.

Dr Muscat said the government intended to change things and augured this could be done with political consensus.

He then hoped that the conciliatory tone of Opposition health spokesman Claudio Grech would prevail in the Nationalist Party, rather than PN leader Simon Busuttil’s negative attitude.

The PN took umbrage at the Prime Minister’s comment, adding he was not properly informed of what was happening in Malta.

The party said Mr Grech had attended the Dalli report presentation on Saturday and the party newspaper il-Mument covered the event on its back page.

“It is a shame that despite the spirit of collaboration that exists between the Opposition and the Health Minister in this sensitive sector... the Prime Minister is trying to turn this into a political football,” the statement said.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com