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Government spent €10.6m on Outpatients Block plans, only to scrap them – MAM
The government wasted €10.6 million on plans for a new Outpatients Block and acute psychiatric facility at Mater Dei Hospital before scrapping them, according to the Medical Association of Malta (MAM). A further €10 million is now being spent on alternative plans proposed by Health Minister Jo-Etienne Abela, which MAM criticised for lacking proper consultation. The new plan relocates acute psychiatric wards above the Emergency Department and removes the outpatient block. MAM warned this will cause delays of at least four years and jeopardise an EU-funded health hub project in Paola, risking the loss of €50 million in EU funds. The association urged the minister to prioritise patient care and resume the original plans.
Insurance association calls for mandatory workplace pensions in upcoming budget
The Insurance Association of Malta (IAM) has called for the introduction of mandatory workplace pensions with a voluntary opt-out in the 2025 budget, modeled after the UK system. This proposal would require employers to contribute to employee pensions, aiming to improve retirement savings and standards of living for future pensioners. The IAM argues that Malta’s pension system is underdeveloped, and this reform would provide a more comprehensive savings structure. While this may increase costs for employers and reduce take-home pay, the IAM believes the long-term benefits outweigh the costs. Critics, however, argue for strengthening the state pension system rather than shifting retirement responsibility onto private schemes, raising concerns about economic inequality and systemic issues.
Morning Briefing
Bail denied as five persons are charged after Ħamrun brawl
Five individuals have been charged with assaulting and injuring police officers during a brawl in Ħamrun on Saturday night. The accused, four men and one woman aged between 23 and 46, were escorted into the Valletta law courts via the main entrance on Republic Street, as a crowd of onlookers observed. Elton Anthony Borg, Erica Borg, Kurt Borg, Redeimen Aquilina, and Christian Mansueto all pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting the officers, resisting arrest, and other related offences. Magistrate Joseph Gatt denied their request for bail, citing the seriousness of the case and the potential risk of evidence tampering. (Times of Malta)
Constitutional Court refutes Joseph Muscat’s request for judges recusal
Malta’s highest court has rejected a request to recuse the three judges presiding over the challenge to freezing orders against former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and others involved in the Vitals Global Healthcare hospitals deal. Muscat and his co-defendants had sought to include a case file from separate criminal proceedings in their constitutional case, which challenges the short legal timeframe for appealing freezing orders. After this request was denied, they called for the recusal of Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, Mr. Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo, and Mr. Justice Anthony Ellul, citing their prior involvement in dissolving the hospitals contract due to fraud and collusion. The Constitutional Court however decided that there were “no legitimate reasons that could lead to an objective justification that the judges are not impartial in the issue being examined in the appeal.” (Maltatoday)
1233 Skill Pass certificates granted to non-EU workers in last three months
A total of 1,233 certificates of full Skills Pass Achievement were issued to non-EU workers within these past three months, since the skills pass legal notice came into force last May, CEO of the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS) Pierre Fenech said. Fenech, along with Martina Vella Montebello and Mark Bugeja, part of the team at ITS leading the Skills Pass initiative, presented the Skills Pass Statistics Report in a media briefing on Monday, which recorded data in the past three months up until Friday, 20 September. (The Malta Independent)
