Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537507
THE Ċensu Moran Health Cen- tre, which has been mired in controversy and delay, started receiving its first patients on Monday. The Minister for Health Jo Etienne Abela, visited the cen- tre where he met with the first patients receiving the provided services. Under the direction of the Ministry for Health, the Foun- dation for Medical Services has worked to ensure that, as of Monday, speech and language pathology and gynaecology services are being offered at the Censu Moran Centre, the gov- ernment said. Over the course of this month, eight more disciplines will be introduced, including physiotherapy, orthopaedics, manometry, podiatry, gastro- enterology, and respiratory medicine. The portable MRI scanner service, which has al- ready served over 1,000 pa- tients, will continue to be avail- able. Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela meets with staff at the health centre Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela meets with staff at the health centre "Today marks an important step forward for healthcare in our country, as we begin to see our promises translate into re- sults for the benefit of patients. Just today, fifty individuals re- ceived outpatient treatment at this new centre. Gradually, over the coming two months, more services will be intro- duced so that the Censu Moran Centre can fulfil its intended purpose. In the coming weeks, two operating rooms for en- doscopies and other interven- tions will also begin function- ing," Abela said on Monday. Delays, disruptions and controversy The opening of the Censu Moran Health Centre follows years of delays and public scru- tiny. Originally announced in 2016 as part of a broader effort to decentralise healthcare ser- vices and modernise primary care across Malta, the project faced repeated setbacks. Construction was hindered by issues related to tendering, changes in project scope, and questions over contractor per- formance, which contributed to a prolonged timeline and cost overruns. The project also drew politi- cal criticism, particularly over its association with the contro- versial hospitals privatisation deal involving Vitals Global Healthcare and later Steward Health Care. The magisterial inquiry un- covered how Ivan Vassallo had drafted an agreement whereby Eurybates – a company that would benefit Schembri, Miz- zi, Vassallo, Pierre Sladden and Adrian Hillman – would help Ergon in submitting a tender to design and build the Paola Primary Healthcare Regional Hub. A Greek consortium, Sal- fo-Ado JV, also entered into an agreement with Eurybates to provide business information services. This consortium went on to win a tender for project management and technical su- pervisory services for the Paola regional healthcare hub. No money was identified to have flown into Eurybates, but a parallel company called En- core Trading Ltd – under the control of Ivan Vassallo and Pierre Sladden as associates of Keith Schembri – received almost €100,000 in October 2019. Investigators suspect these payments were a kick- back for the Paola Regional Hub tender. While the health centre re- mained a government-led in- itiative, concerns were raised over transparency and ac- countability in the broader context of public health infra- structure projects. Opposition figures and residents alike had voiced frustration at the slow progress, with the empty fa- cility standing idle for several years despite public promises of imminent completion. 4 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 JULY 2025 NEWS KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt Nominations of Candidates Council for Nurses and Midwives Appeals Committee It is hereby notified that, for the purpose of Regulations 4 of the Appeals Committee (Elections) Regulations 2004, the nomination/s of candidate/s to fill the post of one registered nurse OR one licensed midwife as member of the Appeals Committee, in accordance with the provisions of Section 49 of the Health Care Professions Act 2003 (Cap. 464) will be received by the Electoral Commission of the Council for Nurses and Midwives, at the Boardroom of the Public Health Regulation Department St Luke's Hospital Level 1 Ex OPD G'Mangia Square Pieta, on Wednesday 16th July 2025 between 09.00 a.m. and 12.00p.m.(noon) and on Thursday 17th July 2025 between 09.00am-12.00pm (noon). The nomination forms for candidates can be downloaded from the Council's website at https://nursesandmidwivescouncil.gov.mt/en/resources/publications/ Any queries can be directed to the Council's website at cnm.sph@gov.mt Raymond Chetcuti Josianne Sultana Jeffrey Ellul Electoral Commissioner Electoral Commissioner Electoral Commissioner Paola health centre plagued by delays, controversy and alleged corruption finally opens to patients Censu Moran Health Centre in Paola (Photo: DOI/Pierre Sammut) Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela meets with staff at the health centre (Photo: DOI/Pierre Sammut)