Govt Wins Hospital Site Battle as VAMED Takes Fight to Appeal Court

By Mark DaCosta- The Full Court has ruled decisively in the Government’s favour, lifting five protective orders that had barred the Ministry of Health from entering the Georgetown Paediatric and Maternal Hospital and New Amsterdam Hospital Campus sites, clearing the way for the State to reclaim possession of the properties, containers and equipment even as a €45.3 million payment dispute with Austrian contractor VAMED Engineering GmbH heads to international arbitration.

VAMED has now taken the fight to the Court of Appeal, alleging that the Ministry has since moved onto both sites and begun interfering with tens of millions of euros’ worth of its property, and is seeking an urgent stay of the Full Court’s order.

For a nation that watched the sod-turning ceremonies at Goedverwagting and New Amsterdam with genuine excitement, the unravelling of the partnership has been sobering.