Nurses' union calls for solving overcrowding at St Luke's

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses' said yesterday the "hostile approach" by the Health Division over proposals to end overcrowding at St Luke's Hospital would lead to a deterioration in the level of care and a substantial increase of infectious diseases.

Reacting to this statement, the division said disagreeing with the union's proposals did not make the division hostile. It said its decisions were not based on the union's interests but on the needs of the patients and the sustainability of the service.

The union described the situation for patients at St Luke's as bleak. The hospital's administration was struggling to find a solution to the hospital's overcrowding problems, it said.

Union general secretary Colin Galea said there had been a massive increase in the number of patients placed in corridors, lately making the hospital look like it was in a state of emergency.

The Health Division said the problem was complex and could not be solved solely through the MUMN's proposal of expanding community services. The government was looking for long-term solutions, it said.