Praise for hospital staff (1)

Early in January, my mother had to be admitted to hospital suffering from an irregular heartbeat.

She was given a bed in a very busy M4 Ward, under the care of R. Xuereb and his team. She was stabilised and after a few days had a pacemaker implanted. Unfortunately, a few complications arose, prolonging her stay from a standard seven days to almost eight weeks.

The care and attention given to my mother (and the rest of the patients) was extraordinary. In spite of the ward being crowded, with all the different cases having to be treated accordingly, the staff showed exceptional dedication and professionalism.

At times she did not bear to set eyes on the food, let alone eat. However, the attendants did their utmost to bring her something to have and politely insisted that she ate.

The nurses in particular showed much care and understanding, by listening to her and reassuring her, thus making her stay less unpleasant.

My mother and her family would like to express our most sincere gratitude towards all the staff at the hospital, especially Dr Xuereb and his team, the nurses and health assistants at the M4, emergency department and CAT lab - all of whom did so much in order to keep our mother's morale high, to give her courage and all the necessary treatments.

A particular mention also goes to J. Camilleri, the Senior Nursing Officer (M4), who was always so receptive and patient with our various queries.

One final word goes to the health authorities: Please take care of all these dedicated people working so hard in our hospitals - they are worth their weight in gold! Money spent on them is well spent indeed!