VGH to set up Stroke Unit, company employees to reach 150 by end of June

Vitals Global Healthcare, the company entrusted with the management of St Luke’s Hospital, Karen Grech Hospital and the Gozo General Hospital, will be setting up a Stroke Unit.

A VGH spokesperson confirmed that the Stroke Unit will provide specialised post-acute stroke care to patients in Malta.

Throughout the past months VGH and Karin Grech Management have worked closely with Partners Healthcare International to set up this unit which will include 28 dedicated beds and specially trained staff.

Staff Members from Karin Grech Hospital have already visited Boston to undergo training in this regard and additional human resources are currently being recruited.

The Stroke Unit will be set up within the current Karen Grech hospital building.

150 new employees by end of June

Some 150 new employees are expected to join the Vitals Global Healthcare workforce by end of June. So far, the VGH headcount stands at over 50 employees. The company is currently recruiting a number of individuals in positions across both hospitals, and within the corporate office.

“Through this, VGH aims to tackle the shortage in staff present in hospitals and develop new care pathways for patients.

An example of which is the recruitment of staff who will form part of the new Stroke Unit being set up in the coming weeks,” a spokesperson explained. Clinical recruitment includes nurses, carers, allied health professionals, specialists and doctors. Non-clinical recruitment includes the areas of Quality and Patient Safety, Technical, Legal, Finance and HR.

The VGH group headcount will grow to some 150 individuals by June. “This will be done incrementally and across different areas, ensuring new recruits are given adequate attention and time to settle into their new roles without upsetting the operation.”

The recruitment process is ongoing and applications are being sent in from Maltese applicants as well as EU and third-country nationals, the spokesperson concluded.

The Malta Independent on Sunday reported how VGH will be facing its first industrial action as engineers and technical workers were given instruction not to recognise Vitals Global Healthcare as its new management before certain issues concerning their employment are addressed.

Some 30 workers will be affected by this ‘preliminary industrial action’, as described by the UĦM, which came into force yesterday.