Mark Pawley, the man who Vitals Global Healthcare (VGH) officials have identified as the ultimate beneficial owner of the company and is also the CEO of Oxley Capital Group, has come out in strong defence of VGH Director Ram Tumuluri, after local media reports about his past dealings in Canada have brought up questions as to his capability of being a Director in such a major project. Pawley favours the choice of Ram Tumuluri as one of the strongest suitors of a prestigious VGH-Directorial role, given his past experiences in various capacities as a man to count on. Nevertheless, the allegations against Ram amongst all the farcical uproar caused by notorious outlets of the media hold no precedent over his expected official appointment and the owner of VGH has made his intentions very clear. To say the least, Pawley places immense trust in people working for him and condemns any ill will expressed by parties on the other side of the silver lining.
In one such example, David Thake called a Canadian venture capitalist that previously had dealings with Mr Ram Tumuluri. The venture capitalist said that “there is a big lawsuit going on in Vancouver as a result of the carnage left behind as a result of Ram’s involvement”. He said that when times got tough, Mr Ram Tumuluri just left. Others relate to allegations that Mr Tumuluri is being investigated for fraud or of pending cases in relation to past business ventures. VGH have been entrusted with the St Luke’s Hospital, Karen Grech Hospital and Gozo General Hospital projects. In response to questions sent by The Malta Independent on Sunday, asking why Mr Tumuluri was entrusted with such a position in this project given the reports of his questionable track record in business.
Mr Pawley said: “He (Mr Ram Tumuluri) and I have been working closely together for the past six years and during this time we developed a close working relationship. Although particular blogs in Malta have spread rumours about his professional background, I have to say that from my perspective this excessive criticism is unfounded. Contrary to these claims in Malta, I have found his professionalism and business conduct across multiple projects to be of very high quality, and I am proud to call him my partner. Ram has moved his entire family to Malta to ensure this project is successful, has put up with major unfounded personal attacks, and yet has managed to keep focused on the job in hand. I have nothing but respect, admiration and support for what Ram and the team are achieving in Malta.”
He explained that Ram Tumuluri role in all of this has always been that of a director, and it has always been the plan to bring in a “highly skilled management team, alongside our world class external partners like Partners Health International”. This management structure is now up and running, he said, with Dr Armin Ernst as CEO, and includes a mix of local and foreign professionals with a ‘world of experience and talent’. “I have no doubt that they will see this project take off and achieve the results we and the government have aimed for since its conception.
