Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday confirmed that the former St Luke's Hospital would never again be used as such or for any other medical purposes. Once the Karen Grech Hospital facilities for rehabilitation and social cases could be relocated, the government wanted to develop the whole area holistically as a prime site. But it was not in a hurry to do this.

Intervening in reply to a supplementary parliamentary question by Labour MP Noel Farrugia, which was being answered by Health Minister Joseph Cassar, Dr Gonzi said he disagreed with turning the former St Luke's Hospital into an old people's home, even if temporarily.

The government would decide on the site's development once the world economic situation was better. National economies were leaning to services, including high-quality offices and other upmarket real estate. It was therefore leaving all options open on the site of the former national hospital.

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