Court Orders Steward Malta to Settle Over €154,000 in Overdue Hospital Catering Bills
· Updated
In brief
- A court ordered Steward Malta Management Ltd to pay more than €154,000 in outstanding catering dues.
- The debt covers meals supplied to staff and patients at Gozo General Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital.
- The judgment represents the latest financial dispute arising from the annulled state hospital concession.
Steward Malta Management Ltd has been ordered by a court to pay more than €154,000 in outstanding catering debts linked to two state hospitals.
The judgment concerns unpaid food and catering services provided to both patients and healthcare workers at Gozo General Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital during the company's tenure managing the facilities.
The decision marks the latest legal and financial dispute following the landmark court annulment of the privatised hospitals concession initially granted to Vitals Global Healthcare and later transferred to Steward Health Care.
The court found in favour of the catering supplier, confirming that the sums claimed for food provisions and deliveries were legally due and remained unsettled by the former concessionaire.
The original privatisation agreement, which covered Karin Grech, Gozo General, and St Luke's hospitals, was struck down by the Maltese courts after being declared fraudulent and non-compliant with basic contractual obligations.
Following the collapse of the concession and the return of the hospitals to public control, numerous contractors, service providers, and commercial suppliers have initiated legal proceedings to recover unpaid dues accumulated by the former operators.
The Spin Room
Low media divide. All outlets reported this development consistently without notable framing differences.
Updates
- : Updated with reporting from Lovin Malta and NET News: Mr Justice Mark Simiana confirmed the exact sum awarded to Malta Healthcare Caterers Ltd as €154,072.18.