Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat yesterday promised that if the Government submitted the draft agreement on St Philip’s Hospital to the Auditor General for his comments and then to the House Public Accounts Committee for scrutiny, the Opposition would not delay the proceedings.

He also promised that the Opposition would go along with proof that the Government was following the best possible method for the leasing and eventual purchase of the hospital.

Dr Muscat said the Government was still in time to show that the House could rise to the occasion and work together. The Opposition was offering the hand of cooperation. But if the Government went ahead regardless, it would constitute a “political donation” to the Opposition.

It was to be hoped that there would be no signing of the agreement by stealth, as had happened in the case of BWSC (for the extension of the Delimara power station). If this happened, it would prove that birds of a feather stuck together.

The Opposition was only insisting on knowing the contents of the draft agreement.

But it wanted to analyse the contract before it was signed, not after. And if it was found that the contract could be enhanced, this could be done together in a true spirit of democracy.

Even if the Government had the right answers, it was not providing them.

Winding up the debate forced on the Government on the issue of St Philip’s Hospital, Dr Muscat said the House had just witnessed a sorry spectacle of a government tripping up in its own feet in a situation brought upon itself. It was a godsend for the Government that the debate did not carry a vote with it, because the result would go against the Government.

As it was, the Government was being arrogant in a situation wherein, just four years after the inauguration of Mater Dei Hospital, it was being admitted that the hospital was not big enough for the country’s needs.

Dr Muscat said another sorry spectacle had been the legalistic arguments brought forward as if the Government was being accused and had found a loophole.

There was also inconsistency in the Government’s statements. Dr Muscat said the Opposition was not in a position to analyse and compare going for St Philip’s or back for St Luke’s Hospital, even if the maths made sense.

But it suspected the true reason for the exclusion of St Luke’s from the equation was it would be tantamount to an admission of political failure in health planning.

He understood that according to Mepa’s permit, St Philip’s could take only 75 beds and there had been no known applications for an increase in that number.

Yet the Government was touting 280 beds, tripling capacity.

Did this mean that the first hundred patients would spend the first three years under a construction site? And nobody had mentioned parking spaces, of which St Philip’s had only 60.

Earlier, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told Parliament that the Government had acted on St Philip’s after having consulted with professionals and after having considered all alternatives including those of using St Luke’s Hospital, as well as to construct the centre at St Vincent de Paul grounds.

The Government felt that it would provide the best service through St Philip’s Hospital.

To date, geriatric and other kinds of rehabilitation services were offered at Karen Grech Hospital. Specialists had advised that this was not the ideal situation because if one was not offered rehabilitation on time, one might be adversely affected and the case would be lost.

Speaking on the contract’s conditions, Dr Gonzi said that the Government adopted the correct process and if it purchased the hospital after the third year, it would go before the PAC and present all the reasons for purchasing the hospital so that the process would be transparent.

Dr Gonzi said that when the lease contract would be signed, the government would provide the Auditor General with the necessary documents so that the latter would be able to draw up a report. The issue would also be brought before the PAC and thus the whole process would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

Other speakers will be reported tomorrow.