Management of the Gozo General Hospital is expected to be handed over to the Vitalis Global Healthcare Group in the coming days, with the official takeover announcement to be made later on this week, sources said.
Healthcare workers at the hospital were summoned yesterday to a meeting with the prospective new owner, who informed them of the impending change.
Sources said staff were split into three groups for their meeting with Ram Tumuluri, a Pakistani-born Canadian citizen who is the director of the Vitalis Group. A similar meeting was held with the workers in November.
While the changeover in management is expected as early as tomorrow, the sources said workers were not given any new details as to how this change would impact them.
In fact, Mr Tumuluri offered very little new information, the sources added, again telling workers the Group would be responsible for the running of the hospital for the next 30 years. That information had already been communicated at the November meeting.
On the employees’ future at the hospital, Mr Tumuluri reassured those present none of their working conditions would change, the sources added. During the hour-long meetings, he also informed the medical staff that structural works at the hospital had started.
Contacted about the meetings, a spokeswoman for the Health Ministry confirmed that “the coming weeks will see the start of the transition process of the management of Gozo General and St Luke's Hospitals to Vitalis".
“The meetings were meant as a familiarisation exercise for all workers. In the coming weeks and months, more familiarisation meetings will take place so that workers will be kept informed and updated at every step”.
The spokeswoman also confirmed that the employees were reassured that their conditions of work as laid down in the collective and sectoral agreements would be respected, as would their status as government employees.
“The commitment to keep all medical services for Gozitan and Maltese patients free of charge was reiterated,” she added.
The Gozo hospital is part of a €200 million private-public partnership involving the Vitalis Group. The group will also be responsible for the running of new medical facilities at St Luke’s and Karin Grech Hospitals.
This newspaper is informed that similar meetings for the staff of the two hospitals are scheduled for today.
Mr Fearne announced last month the Gozo hospital revamp would increase bed capacity to 450, up from 291.
Of these, 100 beds would be dedicated to medical tourists. The hospital will include a campus run by the UK-based Barts Medical School and a simulation centre for use in medical training.
The Opposition yesterday called on the government to publish the contracts related to the privatisation of various hospitals.
claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com