St Philip's hospital is ready to be used, says Portelli

St Philips hospital closed two years ago but the owner insists it will only take a little sprucing up before the Government can start transferring patients. Frank Portelli yesterday sought to allay fears that the hospital may require extensive maintenance to start accepting patients under a deal signed with the Government. “Within a few weeks of taking over, the Government can start to transfer patients from Mater Dei for rehabilitation purposes,” Dr Portelli said, when asked about the state of medical equipment and hospital facilities. He insisted that over the past two years, parts of the hospital were used for outpatient services and the equipment was regularly switched on. However, he noted that medical equipment and other facilities such as lifts will have to be serviced. “The patient will win with this deal because almost immediately some 100 beds can be unblocked at Mater Dei hospital,” Dr Portelli said, adding it did not make sense for the country to have an asset that was not being used when the health service needed more beds. Although the contract has not yet been signed, on Monday the Government released the salient points of the deal. The private hospital will be...