I did not know whether to laugh or cry when I read the Health Minister's reply to Adrian Vassallo regarding appointments not being kept at outpatients, at St Luke's Hospital. My elderly mother had an outpatient appointment at 9 a.m. Not being one of those who do not keep appointments, she was there on time.

At 1.30 p.m. she was still waiting, and to add insult to injury, the staff were still looking for her file! I dread to think what would have happened if everyone who had an appointment that day had turned up! Perhaps more files would have been mislaid and my poor mother would perhaps have had to wait more than five hours to be seen by a hassled doctor who was as anxious as she was to be off.

I sincerely hope that some members of staff at St Luke's Hospital will put their act together as, unfortunately, with that hospital's way of operating, I'm not very optimistic that things will run very smoothly at our new, state-of-the-art hospital, Mater Dei. After all, it's people who offer the service, not buildings.