(Adds government's reaction)

The Opposition is calling on the government to suspend the acquisition of St Philip's Hospital until the details are made public and are considered by the House Public Accounts Committee, the Labour spokesman for health, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said this morning.

A similar request was made yesterday by Nationalist MP Franco Debono, who presented a motion for the purpose yesterday.

Ms Coleiro-Preca said she could not declare whether or not she agreed with the acquisition since she had not seen the details.

Nonetheless, she said, the acquisition of the hospital was proof of the government's lack of planning, so soon after the opening of Mater Dei.

She noted that rehabilitation care services were originally meant to be in Mater Dei. They they were moved to St Vincent to Paul and now St Philip's.

The same had happened with regard to Oncology services, she said.

She said the new beds at St Philip's would not be enough unless the primary healthcare sector was reformed in order to ease pressure on hospitals.

She said the acquisition of St Philip's could be an example of the government's election panic since the problem of shortage of beds had not suddenly cropped up.

In a reply the government said theopposition was yet again taking a position against patients requiring rehabilitation.

Ms Coleiro-Preca was again showing that the opposition had not yet understood the difference between a rehabilitation and an acute hospital, the government said.