Doctors protest over 'atrocious' situation caused by hospital bed shortage
Patient resuscitated in hospital corridor
A patient who suffered a cardiac arrest had to be resuscitated in a corridor at the hospital Casualty Department yesterday because of a shortage of beds.
The incident led doctors and nurses to fire off a strongly worded letter to the hospital authorities calling for an end to the "ridiculous" situation of using parts of their department as a ward due to a shortage of beds in Malta's only acute hospital.
"We feel this situation is far from acceptable, shameful and downright appalling. It needs to be remedied today," they said in their letter seen by The Times.
"We found the patient in the middle of the corridor, surrounded by several patients," they said in the letter.
In this case, the staff did not even have access to basic equipment, including gloves, intravenous cannulae and a crash cart, and the ward doctor was unable to go to help because he was caught up with other patients, they said.
"CPR ALS (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was performed as best as we could in the middle of a corridor and we successfully managed to resuscitate the patient despite the conditions being so atrocious. CPR was performed in full view of all the patients crowded in Area 2."
The patient was later transferred to intensive care.
According to sources, between 30 and 40 patients were recovering in beds in Area 2 and the corridor in Casualty's paediatric section yesterday.
Although patients have been recovering in beds in corridors for some time - reminiscent of the old St Luke's Hospital - the situation was compounded further yesterday after one of the medical wards had to be closed off due to an outbreak of gastroenteritis.
The staff said they could not be expected to cover patients who were admitted to Area 2 or the paediatric corridor and also the patients requiring emergency treatment.
"We think it is ethically wrong that the management put the Casualty staff in the awkward situation of having to cover the patients in Area 2 and the paediatric corridor despite it being a ward," they said.
A few days ago, consultants at Mater Dei's Department of Medicine also wrote to the hospital authorities calling for an immediate solution to bed shortage and overcrowding.
The consultants said the bed shortage was a threat to patient safety and they would not assume responsibility for system failures that were threatening this safety.
A woman was recently reported to have given birth to her second child on a stretcher in an examination room because there were no available beds in the delivery room.
122 Comments
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n camilleri
Mar 6th 2010, 07:09
@james grima, Either you are Hypnotised or brainwashed. It's people like you and your vote that had put this country in this situation.
Ludwig Flask
Mar 1st 2010, 21:45
... Most ticket machines are out of order, why? The machines where you insert the paid ticket at the gates when leaving the visitors' car park are smashed, why? The visitors' car park has only one access to the lifts per floor, why? What is the reason that some fire points in the visitors’ car park lack fire fighting equipment? A patient eats the food ordered by the previous bed occupant, why? The lights in some corridors are switched off, why? Whose idea was it to attach photocopies to the doors of the rooms? Some wards are full up and patients are put in other wards why? The TV cable service lacks channels, why? When paying to watch TV once you insert the pay card, €4, whether you use it or not, you need to repay the same amount to avail of this service the day after, why? Some lifts are out of order, why? Why do outpatients sometimes spend 2 hours waiting to have blood tests taken? How come smoking is allowed on the Hospital premises (outside)? Questions, problems, not serious as bed shortage, but still questions, problems…
N. Azzopardi
Feb 23rd 2010, 12:13
@James Grima
Your accusation does not make sense.
Marius Cremona
Feb 23rd 2010, 02:34
@ James Grima
Are you serious??? Can you tell me why 2 years of Labour are more significant than 12 years of PN? But obviously seeing through your blue specs will distort the math
James Grima
Feb 22nd 2010, 18:26
Messhom jisthu it tobba. Mela nsew li il problema tal Mater Dei hija l effett tal gvern socjalista ta Dr. Sant tal 1996-1998. Ghax ma jmorrux isaqsu lilu. Ehh qedin taraw xjigri meta dawn jkunu fil gvern hux?
Marius Cremona
Feb 22nd 2010, 17:54
Im not a health professional, but work in Management. So I can be somewhat off-track however some few poitners on what can be done to improve the situation in the NHS (Malta) -Attract Maltese newly graduate doctors/nurses/other health care workers to stay in Malta by providing adequate post-graduate training (the training done now is close to zero) -Improve the salaries of doctors/nurses to make these jobs attractive to the ones who are abroad/thinking of going abroad - helps to steer consultants from private work to work in hospital - and I mean not a joke increase to the higher hierarchies but even the junior doctors - a junior doctor working in UK for half the hours without nights earns more than 3 times than a junior doctor working in Malta for double the amount of hours per week/weekends/nights -Watch the persons working in hospital that if they are supposed to be working they actaully are in hospital and they are actaully working -Audit individual people,audit wards,audit departements, audit everything -Locum posts with good pay -No tolerance (I mean fines) to relatives who are selfish and do not take care of their parents (a bed costs more than Lm100 per day)
T. Krysto
Feb 22nd 2010, 15:13
Emergency - "sudden, urgent, usually unexpected occurrence or occasion requiring immediate action"
If not everybody with a normal cough or sore throat would go to the emergency than they would have more space for urgent cases. And if they would use the three different areas well, there would be enough space in area one.
Hans Wolf
Feb 22nd 2010, 13:00
I love people commenting when they don't know anything but the rhetoric.
Part of the problem with overcrowding invovles an unplanned occurance. At St. Lukes, many patients sought private hospitals due to the facilities and care. Now, with the new hospital, the majority of those people have come back to the government. This has resulted in a net decrease in the used hospital beds in all of Malta. Private hospitals are close to shuttering their doors due to lack of patients.
The second problem is due to certain standards of care in Malta. Preventive medicine is hardly bothered with. Low hand hygiene compliance, poor preventive care of long term diseases...these contribute to huge wastages.
As an example, an uncontrolled diabetic, upon admission to the hospital, will take up 3 weeks of bed space. In regards to diabetic care, the governement provides for 1 testing strip per day, plus insulin. In a type 1 diabetic (Insulin dependent) the current standard of care is to test 6 times per day with multiple injections. This is all paid for by governement insurance.
Basically, what is cheaper? Regular oil changes and PM on your car or changing the engine when it blows?
Anthony Pace Gouder
Feb 22nd 2010, 03:25
LEST WE FORGET . The initial Concept was an 800 Bed Hospital . Later the Project , under persistant controversy , was re-planned to house 1,000 beds. What has gone wrong? Everyone felt relieved that the Project was eventually finalized and inagurated ,anticipating a new era where major attention would be concentrated on Health Care . This is not the case !
Regrettfully , plans are already underway to address (HEAL) shortcomings in other sectors, un-related to this Patient accomodation problem . Ancillary buildings will be constructed now.and in future , constituting an ON-GOING HOSPITAL OPERATION.
joseph quintano
Feb 21st 2010, 22:32
i just saw the 8pm news bulletin and i was shocked to see all those beds in corridor. I don't want to sound ironic but the last time i saw scenes of hospital beds in corridors on tv was around a month ago in after the earthquake in HAITI. How long are we going to tolerate this? This is just unacceptable in the 21st century. Some people who commented in this blog are saying that health authorities need to think about expanding hospital. Mater dei cost millions from our pockets and two and a half years after it was first used we are already talking about expanding. This just doesnt make sense at all.
@ frank portelli and ray buhagiar
It is useless giving your suggestions.. though valid, the authorities are just not listening. If they would have listened to sensible advices throughout the years we wouldnt have the need to talk about this in the media.
simon cutajar
Feb 21st 2010, 22:31
About two weeks ago I took my mum of 76 years to hospital on sunday while she was not feeling very well and beacuse she's diabetic I didn't risk to wait for monday morning to call her private doctor . This was around 11.25 am on sunday and we waiting in the emergency corridor for 12 hours , and at around 23.55 a young doctor half asleep came from the ward .
I can't understand this ! we spend millions of euros in this hospital for nothing and I have share's in this hospital cause i pay tax like others . what a shame of this country ! DISASTER IN GOOD HANDS.
rbuttigieg
Feb 21st 2010, 21:19
usual pn vs mlp divide.... no wonder we always mess things up with this reasoning.
@all.... st'luke's also had this problem ( anyone remember the 31 bedded capacity wards stretched to 45 ??? ) of course not 'cos wards used to accept everything that was thrown at them and the problem was convenietely ignored by all!! .
@edgar s, galea and j.oatman......good honest comments
@frank portelli....a person who is dependent on others for his/her activities of daily living should NOT be in an acute hospital just for that sake only. and yes it's a fact some relatives do exploit the system and dump relatives there. having said that cases wer private insitutions are used as in case mentioned by Mr. Raymond Zammit should have a tax rebate to encourage such decisions. ( on siblings' income since they are helping out their elderly relative)
@martin saliba... seems its been a long time since u been at MD, 'cos foreigner nurses are already there!
this probem has been brewing for years, now 'cos the wards cannot accept the famous 'corsija' the problem is more acute then ever.
knowing our mentality pity it was built with a small bed capacity
j lupi
Feb 21st 2010, 19:27
Stop. Let's put it for discussion on Xarabank or Pondi+. U mela kulhadd (dawn li semmejt) hsiebu f' Joe Muscat - dawn huma il-problemi li ghandna u mhux jekk it-Tejatru jkollox saqaf jew le. Nqabdu hafna konsulenti barranin meta ghandna periti bravi u jafu l-bzonnijiet taghna x'inhuma. Fajjarlu sular iehor Zep u tara kemm nghamlu sodod.
emma zammit
Feb 21st 2010, 15:17
@Godwin Dalli
Inutli li l gvern (ie:il-poplu) jirrenga sptar san luqa, ghax man power biex imexxieh m'hemmx. nibzghu ghal haddiema taghna forsi jieqaf dal fenomenu li jiggradwaw l istudenti u kullhadd isiefer jahdem barra.... u bir ragun!!!
Lilia Borissova
Feb 21st 2010, 12:13
@ Dr Frank Portelli
"I believe the greatest vested interest in the 'status quo" lies with those who would like the situation to remain as it is - so they can use it to attack the government"
What an absurd assumption! Are you saying that the opposition (or some minority within the government for that matter) is actually more powerful than the government itself and can actually halt its attempts in improving the dire situation?!?! If this is true, then this government is only a pro forma government (usually the case with third world countries). If it's not true however, then the government is either willing but incompetent or competent but unwilling to remedy this absurd situation. In any of these scenarios, one thing is sure: the ones that suffer are the sick and needy people of Malta and Gozo.
M Bondin
Feb 21st 2010, 11:47
Hospitals should not be managed by doctors, but by trained managers who have good knowledge in effective working operations management and cost control, with a good HR policy. doctors should take care of the clinical aspect of care and not waste precious time on meetings on purchasing of equipments and on who should be in office A or office B with the view, or before that while still at SLH, giving all their opinions on what disposables to buy and what color should the mater dei walls be painted in. I have seen too much of this nonsense..... and now we have loads of problems emerging....
waiting lists, over crowding............ lets hope in a minister who will have the guts to put someone at the lead of mater dei who will be able to change all the current management practices into effective ones and not with vested interests being political, financial etc.....
Adrian Grech
Feb 21st 2010, 09:09
hemm hu state of the art li ftaharna bih imbasta infaqna il milljuni extra u gie over buget u nipruvaw infejqu il pazjenti fil kuruturi.proset hafna u iqba sejjer hekk.lol
Mark Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 22:33
If what Ray Buhagiar is saying holds water then an investigation must be held and if consultants are deliberately making the system inefficient so that patients go to their private clinics (or to pressure the government into giving the payrise they demand) then they must be held accountable, taken to court and charge with manslaughter if any of the patients die. No questions asked. No one should be allowed to play with patients lifes for money. However I certainly hope this is not the case.
alfred curmi
Feb 20th 2010, 20:06
Yes, indeed, the solution is to send those social cases somewhere ! Both the government together with the church - this as regards where building (housing the patients) is concerned should come together. BUT, and a big BUT, this can only come about with the absolute help of some CHRISTIAN MALTESE ORGANISATION (OR BETTER SOME REAL MALTESE CHRISTIANS COMMING TOGETHER TO FORM A NEW (new) ORGANISATON TO GIVE THEIR HELPING HAND LIKE SO MANY OTHER KIND HEARTED NGO'S ARE DOING.
but also doctors, especially SOME CONSULTANTS, HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT THEY HAVE TAKEN (FOR THEIR WHOLE LIFE) THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH.
WHERE IS THIS HIPPOCRATIC OATH (I REPEAT ONLY SOME) THIS HAS BEEN TURNED INTO A h y p o c r a t i c A C T - when you forget that such NOBLE service used to be a VOCATION first AND FOREMOST and NOT MONEY GRABBING FROM YOUR HANDS.
MAY SOME DAY, IF EVER !!!!!!!!! THIS PROFESSION TURN THE CLOCK BACK AS REGARDS THIS SACRED OATH.
Ludwig Flask
Feb 20th 2010, 19:36
@ Ray Buhagiar: interesting comment.
Frederick Attard
Feb 20th 2010, 19:36
Governments - Labour & PN, have always appointed Health Ministers to manage the public hospital and never appointed Health Ministers to manage the National Health sector. The game has always been the government hospital versus the private hospitals. To-date we never had a Health Minister that truly represented National Health.
When the day comes that we have a National Health Minister, you can rest assured that the situation will improve for the benefit of patients.
Why does the govt allow tourists on holiday in Malta to be treated at Mater Dei when they should all have a travel insurance that cover their medical needs in private hospitals?
Why not cost the costings of certain operations at Mater Dei and offer private hospitals to do them for the same price if they have the full facilities?
Why not give people tax credits if they purchase a private health insurance so they will use private hospitals for their treatments?
Why doesn't the government stop heatlh insurance companies from paying insured people a cash incentive if they use Mater dei instead of private hospitals?
Joseph Camilleri
Feb 20th 2010, 19:19
The situation at Mater Dei proves that the slogan "Together everything is possible" is empty rhetoric. With the best will in the world and working all together, not everything is possible. Extending and improving social services, in this case medical services, without increasing taxes or introducing payment for medical services is simply not possible. The Greek economic situation is ample proof that in the end the consequences of our illusions will come home to roost.
Jos Vella
Feb 20th 2010, 19:09
If the authorities start addressing the number of social cases which exist at Mater Dei, the problem of bed shortage will be reduced by circa 60%.
It was known from the beginning that Mater Dei was going to be smaller than SLH; so the atrocious situation was expected.
Godwin Dalli
Feb 20th 2010, 18:56
Hbieb mhux ahjar li minflok il-Gvern jibni Bieb il-Belt u jonfoq 80m euros jirranga St. Lukes? Ghaziz Prim Ministru hu hsieb il- poplu Malti ghax vera qbadna t-triq tan-nizla. Kemm infaqna flus fi progetti bla bzonn?!
n.camilleri
Feb 20th 2010, 18:21
State of the art . Int taf xi Jfisser !
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 18:17
@ Ray Buhagiar
You raise some very Good Points
1) Agreed - We need more full time Doctors at Mater Dei - this can be achieved if we give them good conditions of work, salary, structured training, etc - to my knowledge very few doctors opted for the present full time contract – I would also say no more jobs for life – jobs have to depend on clinical outcomes and outputs.
2) We need to establish better Post Graduate Training in conjunction with a recognized International Institution – the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland was keen to come to Malta and they had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maltese Government – but they too were ambushed.
3) We need Good Management of our resources --- an EU report shows that our Health Services are only 38% efficient – in other words we could do the same with 62% less expenditure !!
http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication13886_en.pdf
Ultimately we need good management
Dr Frank Portelli
martin saliba
Feb 20th 2010, 17:47
@ Pat Morgan. If the Gov. tries to employ forgners the unions will not accept with the excuse of equlity. I'll explain , what is wrong in employing a nurse with a salary 3 times as much as he/she would earn at home but still half the salary of a maltese nurse ? When the dockyards wanted to do this the unions did not accept, why , as far as i can see it would do away with overtime.
Pat Morgan
Feb 20th 2010, 17:18
As a regular visitor to Malta, I feel concerned for our friends who live there.If as I have seen in the past there are a shortage of nurses, as well as now beds- if there were more staff would you be able to open more beds? Prehaps if you were able to retain your trained staff instead of them leaving prehaps to go abroad that would help or pay decent money to enable nurses and doctors from overseas to be attracted to Malta.A cardiac nurse in a district general hospital in a county ( not city) in England earns about £25,000 a year for a 37.5 hours a week .Prehaps it needs a good organiser to bail it out!?
Mark Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 17:05
Ghandi diska ghalikom tal Pn ippruvaw ifmhu il lirika.
Then it all crashes down
And you break your crown
And you point your finger
But there's no one around
Just want one thing
Just to play the king
But the castle's crumbled
And you're left with just a name
Where's your crown, King Nothing
Metallica ;p
Peter Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 16:08
How stubborn and ignorant are some of the comments below. So a person risks his life on a stretcher because there was no bed available for him and you find people trying to find excuses for this government by passing the buck over to the opposition. Incredible the state of irresponsibility that this country has reached. Who gives a pippa what happened in 1996 Mr Farrugia & Mr. J. Busuttil. Dan x argument hu? In nies qedin marsusin u qed kwazi jmutu w intom mohhkom biex twahhlu f dak u l iehor jew tistennew il manna minghand il PL dwar kif tista tissolva il problema. It is not your lives are risk (yet) mid dehra hux? Dr. Portelli has expressed his opinion about possible solutions. The PL has came up with a set of proposals, but Gov. as usual acted stubbornly and did not give a hoot. This Government, who should have spearheaded this problem years ago, is still trying to make up its mind. This Government is lame and demotivated, none of your futile attempts to discredit others will succeed.
S Caruana
Feb 20th 2010, 16:01
So Dr Sant was not so crazy after all!! It is not a good thing that he is being proved right, as that means we are in a bad state, but at least maybe the people who tarnished his image will now take back what they said. BTW this is not the first time he is being proved right.
Ray Buhagiar
Feb 20th 2010, 16:00
The solution is:
Do not accept Consultants to work both for NHS and Private Sector.
Pay a Foreign Company (which must not have connections in Malta) to administer all the clinical services.
Mater Dei is big enough, but it is mismanaged perhaps with a hidden agenda.
A Cortis
Feb 20th 2010, 15:55
@ Frank Portelli
You are right it is not Zammit Clapp. MAM proposed to transfer the patients to St. Vincent De Paul Residence. Unfortunately MUMN has put some spokes in the wheels.
However I am sure that good sense will prevail and once the 60 patients are transferred, then the acute bed shortage will be alleviated. At that stage there will no longer be the need to rent or buy beds in private hospitals any more.
Joe Tabone-Adami
Feb 20th 2010, 15:24
"PATIENT RESUSCITATED IN HOSPITAL CORRIDOR" Incredibly scandalous - and scandalously incredible. State of the art indeed! Whose fault is it, and why? John citizen expects honest answers - in simple enough language to be understood by one and all. Is somebody holding patients and would-be patients to ransom?
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 15:19
@ A Cortis
Pardon me for living
Re Zammit Clapp Hospital
Zammit Clapp Hospital has 3 Wards - not 60 wards
It has a total of 60 patients - and provides an excellent - it is also Autonomous
The Solution offered by A Cortis ie putting an extra patient in each ward would actually relieve Mater Dei of 3 patients.
We need to think more
I believe the greatest vested interest in the 'status quo" lies with those who would like the situation to remain as it is - so they can use it to attack the government
Dr Frank Portelli
Raymond Zammit
Feb 20th 2010, 15:11
@ Dr Portelli
Thanks for your honest statement & surely will be read by others with interest for the same cause. Still awaiting for a reply from Onor Mr Galea with regards mum plea for justice to be done. She is paying more than her pension just for the bed and the daily meals.
joe Vella
Feb 20th 2010, 15:03
@lgalea
Pointed out to my previous email the fact that VIP treatment to those inside the circle is discrimination and questions that someone should file a case in court.
Point well taken! Well said!
However, in Parliament we have not only doctors we have even a specialist and it seem this VIP courtesy that is going on has no importance to them otherwise someone sometime will raise it, at least during question time in Parliament, after all they are in the same club.
Can you see Juzeppi trying to fight the system.
M.Said
Feb 20th 2010, 14:49
State of the what?
Ronald Zammit
Feb 20th 2010, 14:49
VERU TAL MISTHIJJA !! Kemm kienu iddandnu quddiem il kameras tat TV biex inawguraw dan l'isptar STATE OF THE ART!! Kienu hasbu ghat tlellix kollu u nefqu il miljuni biex f'ghajn in nies u il barranin jidru sbieh u komdi. Pero ma hasbux ghas serhan il mohh tal publiku . Spar li dam 17 il sena biex tlesta u ma kinux kapaci jikkalkulaw ghal iktar haga essenzjali ghal pazjenti igifieri l'accomodazjoni ( Is-Sodod ) X'jiswa it tlellix u il kumditajiet kollha jekk umbat il pazjient ma jkollux fejn jistrih. Nerga intenni.. Tal Misthijja !! Ma hemmx skuzi tax xejn, b'dawk il flus kollha li nefqu misshom hasbu f'din il problema min qabel. Min flok il quddiem fis sahha sejjrin dejjem lura. Ghal-linqas qabel konna ninqdew fil clinici imma issa..... EHH, KEMM KONNA AHJAR META KONNA GHAR!!!!! Viva GonziPN la ix-xitan irid hekk. Bhal ghada gimgha kulhadd ghal PROTESTA ha nuru lil dal Gvern fejnu il polz tal poplu imdejjaq b'din amministrazjoni ta GonziPN.
martin saliba
Feb 20th 2010, 14:47
@ J Farrugia. You disgust me in the way you try to defend your goverment on every issue. Call a spade a spade.
Gregory Ellul
Feb 20th 2010, 14:42
The proof of the pudding (Mater Dei) is in the eating. I remember well feeling uneasy watching Open days, fieri, picnics u teatrini before the hospital was officially inaugurated. Now I understand the funny feelings I had at that time. In Malta we have become professionals in openings, kummidji, media events but then when we come to the crux....boqq nothing
A Cortis
Feb 20th 2010, 14:40
@ Frank Portelli
The solution is actually simple. Add a bed in each of the 60 wards in Zammit Clapp and transfer 60 social cases from Mater Dei to into these beds. The authorities have already suggested it but the nurses revolted. So the ball is in the government's court to be firm and proceed with the plan. Nothing to do with politics or the opposition,
Also I would like to comment that it is not very frank of you to keep posting comments on this subject when you, quite frankly, have a massive personal interest in the situation.
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 14:26
@ Ray Zammit
A note on "Social Cases"
A local study showed that most “social cases” are in fact not in hospital for social reasons but because they are highly dependent.
The study showed that they are a frail group of patients, with an average age of 80 Years
Many of these patients are highly dependent on others for their daily activities.
12% of patients had dementia, 41% had heart problems, 46% had diabetes, and many patients had severe problems following a stroke.
Only 10% of patients in the study were fully independent and could possibly be allowed home
The study sadly showed a general lack of interest in the problems of these patients and a sense of disownment by the health professionals concerned.
The truth is that over the years we have failed these patients Iwe should stop blaming their relatives.
PS
A social case is defined as a patient who no longer needs an acute hospital bed and yet cannot be discharged to the community or as a patient who is awaiting transfer to another institution.
Dr Frank Portelli
Anthony Caruana
Feb 20th 2010, 14:15
These elves are just itching for a fight. Inciting the people to 'wake up' to throw out the government , and it is counterproductive. The government will not allow anarchy to reign supreme. and this call to arms coming from the same red elves known to one and all, is criminal. So you better shut up. We have had enough of people beating doctors at MD, and beating here and there. With the excuse that they are with the patients. We will have none of this. Force will be used against force.
J Farrugia
Feb 20th 2010, 14:12
Many thanks Luciano Busuttil MP for putting the blame where it should really be, in the face of those who are using MD Hostpial as a part time hospital. But off course this is not true. as a labour MP it is easy for you to throw blame left right or centre.. Remember that it was your Government of 1996 which deformed all plans and it was your friend Michael Farrugia as Minsiter who continued to ruin the plans and it had to be this Govornment who rearranged everything. But with people's health no one can play. Some use MD for just a finger accident. Others dump elderly persons in MD. And doctors cannot be at MD and at St Luke's at the same time. Equipment cannot be duplicated in both hospitals. The staff are doing what they can. Yes we have a state of the art hospital whether you like it or not. But it cannot cope with too many emergencies and other operations. The staff is what it is - doing miracles. And more staff is being engaged even those who have left due to pensionable age. So what is your party's plan for such AN EMERGENCY? Zilch.
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 14:04
@ J Debono
The Doctors are saying it is an national emergency
But unless we remove politics from the equation patients will continue to suffer
Dr Frank Portelli
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 14:01
Patients before Politics
I am interested in facts
According to a recent PQ -- the waiting list for Cataract Operations at the end of January 2009 was 5,951 and has been reduced to 5,735, Social Policy Minister John Dalli replying Chris Agius (PL)
The waiting list was reduced by 216 (5951 minus 5735)
If the PQ is correct - and if we maintain this rate of reduction of the waiting list ie. 216 patients per annum --- do the maths
5735 divided by 216
It will take us 26 years to clear the Cataract List
I had better book now
Dr Frank Portelli
Kenneth Galea
Feb 20th 2010, 13:45
Currently anybody can walk in at the Mater Dei and demand treatment, the front line staff are powerless to turn patients away. Only those who qualify for free treatment should be treated at the Mater Dei, the 'illegals' must be turned away and be treated by the UNHCR or the MSF. Obviously those living legally must be given the appropriate treatment, at the end of the day that is the reason we are paying high NI contributions and high taxes. This is a serious problem, we see these scenes and hear such stories in thirld world countries. This is exactly what happens with an explosion in population which this spineless Government never addressed. We ALL know how the population explosion started.
Patrick Pace
Feb 20th 2010, 13:43
Ara kieku dan it-tbazwir kollu jsir taht Gvern Laburista - protesti fuq protesti u li mhux jati kaskom - imma mid dehra kollox jaddi taht dan il-gvern.
Dr Charmaine Cherrett B.A., LL.D
Feb 20th 2010, 13:38
Kindly note that 'Franco Debono' who posted a comment IS NOT the Member of Parliament.
J.Debono
Feb 20th 2010, 13:33
What will happen if our country will encounter a national emergency? It's not enough to have a 'state of the art' hospital - it must function as one in all aspects. Having patients in corridors is totally unacceptable! A big thanks to all the medical staff who are obviously doing their utmost in such a delicate situation.
A Cassar
Feb 20th 2010, 13:32
@J Busuttil
You seem to have complete amnesia about how much the labour "elves" compained about Mater Dei being too small for Malta's needs before it opened!!! Now that the "elves" are complaining about the disasterous situation in casualty's corridors, you are asking them for solution??? You have chutzpah!!!!!
I don't know why you expect praise from the opposition for increasing the number of procedures done, because the problem is the length of the waiting list. So if there were 6000 more procedures then 2008, but 6000 more requests for procedures than 2008 than the length of the waiting list would have remained the same!!!
Raymond Zammit
Feb 20th 2010, 13:30
To Onor Mr Galea please note the following & we need answers. My mum 74years from Zejtun ended up paying 570 ewro to reside in a private home and had to pay for a private eye operation 1480 ewro cause could not wait any longer with the so called waiting list, can we see any transperency how people are located to enter gov home's. And refering to your statement we do not dumb our relatives in MDH as you quoted.We treat our parents with dignity not as numbers, hoping that we will have some answers cause if she didn't had money and us to take care of her god knows what will be her whereabouts!!!
Luciano Busuttil
Feb 20th 2010, 13:21
labour elves???? Remember during the 17 years in whch the hospital was being built how many times we said that beds will not be enough? Remember us insisting that since St. Lukes, which had more beds, was till too small, Mater Dei would be worse. And we should shut up and praise PN for spending Lm300,000,000 to build a hospital declared part time by ex minister John DAlli!!!!!!!!
lgalea
Feb 20th 2010, 13:00
J Busutti It is only little pn elves that have to be like the proverbial Angel with the nail in his back and yet still smiling. The Mater Dejn is another example of the incompetence of the various PN administrations.
J Farrugia E Vella It's not the doctors competence to solve the problems created by the bad planning of the politicians but it is the politicians themselves who were responsible for this tragedy who must provide the solutions.
Edgar S. Galea Patients should be discharged when they are fit t be discharged not simply to make way for other patients as is happening now.
joe Vella That is discrimination. How abotu someone filing a case in court against this discrimination?
GONZI, HOW ABOUT REFURBISHING ST LUKES OR IS THERE SOME FRIENDS OR FRIENDS OF FRIENDS WHO NEEDS TO HAVE THEIR BACKS SCRATCHED? THIS ALSO APPLIES TO BOFFA HOSPITAL.
METER DEJN MAY BE A STATE OF THE ART HOSPITAL RE THE BUILDING BUT IT'S A STATE OF THE FART AS REGARDS THE SERVICE (NOT BY THE DOCTORS) BUT BY THE MANAGEMENT, THOSE WHO PLANNED IT AND THOSE WHO DID NOT PLAN TO HAVE THE REQUIRED STAFF.
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 12:59
Here are some solutions I proposed
Make Mater-Dei autonomous – like, Zammit Clapp to reduce bureaucracy.
Appoint a Clinical “TSAR " from outside NHS answerable only to the Minister.
Minister sets policy - “Tsar” implements it - on the principle that '"governments should steer not row"
Employ more full time Doctors – in the NHS most doctors have private practice parallel with their NHS job - a financial incentive to keep long waiting list
Establish a "one-stop shop"- patients seen in outpatients, tests performed same day, & an immediate decision to put the patient on the waiting list
Rank patients: on defined clinical/social criteria, e.g. progression of disease, disability, dependence , age, loss of ability to work.
Establish URGS-Urgency related groups- each group to have maximum recommended treatment time (Urgency=the maximum time to obtain the best result from treatmet).
Establish a "priority-score" an order in which patients receive treatment (Priority= relative position on a surgical waiting list).
Keep Clinical Outputs & Outcomes under constant review
When all this is in place establish a Public Private Partnership.
Dr Frank Portelli
Mark Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 12:55
J Busuttil
Stop politicizing the matter. Can't we criticize the way things are done. Our we supposed to let the patients be treated like this so don't we don't criticize the government. Do us all a favour and have some respect for those who are suffering ,yes at the hands of the government's lack of planning and incompetence. Have some respect and decency to the patients and their families and remove those blue blinkers. This is not about politics but about lifes. Do you think the patients are labourites only? Dr.Frank Portelli has proposed solutions almost 2 years ago it seems yet the proposals fell on deaf ears. Well done Dr.Frank Portelli.
A.Busuttil
Feb 20th 2010, 12:46
The important for GONZIPN that by the year 2015 we willbe a place of ' ECCELLENZA' another joke wenz !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A. Cassar
Feb 20th 2010, 12:36
Poplu Malti Qum !! . When are we going to wake up from this farse of a dream . People keep justifying government actions , in a way that they exist on there own and have no direct families or friends who are suffering all repercussions happeneing . What rights workers have fought for over the years and struggled to achieve are just been chopped away by the arrogance of some party that used to claim catholic democracy !!! . My brother works 60 hours a week for one group and he is paid by 4 different companies and therfor his hours are split by them all . He has to accept it as he would not be able to work and if you think that he is useless I can guarantee the contrary . This is so that he wont have any workers rights !! If the doctors protest for there working conditions , people say that they are exxagerating !! Whatever happened to job satisfaction ? you wake up in the morning and remember that you are a qualified professional and employed by a farse !! so much for job Harmony !!! Poplu Malti Qum !!!!!
C. Farrugia
Feb 20th 2010, 12:32
Few remember that this mess has been caused by the two main parties. The original San Rafaelel Hospital project under the pre 1998 PN Government was to be only a 400/500 bed university hospital, while St. Luke's had to remain open and refurbished. This is spite of the MAM who wanted one hospital. Then under the MLP government a commission was established with strong doctor representation and it was decided to increase the beds in order to close St Luke’s. This under strong pressure from the doctors side. After then the new PN government abided by this decision which was contrary to the original plans. The old San Raffaele Hospital project had to have a completely new administrative staff independent from St Luke's with new ideas and new management. What resulted was the transfer of the same administration from St Luke’s, problems and all. New hospital with old faces, old administration, old methods & old problems.. This is what the doctors apparently wanted. I am sure Dr Portelli, who is much more on the ball than I am can confirm these facts in their general terms or otherwise.
J Busuttil
Feb 20th 2010, 12:22
Only whining by labour elves without any proposal put foward. Also I haven't read any praise from Labour elves when in yeaf 2009 6000 more operations were done at Mater Dei Hosp than 2008.After all everyone is accepted admission to our hospital when one reads that in England and Italy it is not the first time that patients were refused admittance to hospital.
Peter Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 12:12
@J. Farrugia
I hope that you are not trying to provide an excuse for Government and its lack of planning. I would have attributed the maltese saying: "Qattusa ghaggelija frieh ghomja taghamel", however considering the exorbitant amount of time that this Gov. took in completing this hospital, there is an even better saying: "L akbar hmar min ma jridx jisma".
We should definitely thank God that that patient was saved by the experienced and reactive medical staff. Nevertheless the working situation at MD is unbearable, not just for the patients but also for the staff. The possible solution in such an extreme situation is to resort using private hospitals, which have offered their help. However this comes at a price, one which is hopefully reasonable at this time of crises.
Keith Gauci
Feb 20th 2010, 12:10
This is the State of the Art Hospital!!!
A.S. Galea
Feb 20th 2010, 12:00
@ J. Farrugia. Pray to God that you don't find yourself in the same position if, God forbid, you may need urgent medical assistance at MD. All these complaints about the present precarious situation at MD are coming from people who saw with their ,own eyes what is going on there or had some family member who sought medical assistance. I do not think that the doctors had written this strongly worded letter just for the fun of it.
T Sammut
Feb 20th 2010, 11:52
Some years back there was a TV serial YES MINISTER, says it all
Paul Barrett
Feb 20th 2010, 11:51
It would seem sensible to re-open a part of St Luke's as a rehabilitation unit/overflow unit in the case of an emergency. This would keep the main hospital free for acute cases needing state of the art constant hands on and emergency treatment.
Social cases - i.e., those that no-longer need hospital treatment but have nowhere to go must be separated from those needing medical help and taken on by another branch of the social services - perhaps still accommodated within the St Luke's complex but not blocking the limited medical teams from doing their job.
Charles Busuttil
Feb 20th 2010, 11:50
@J Farrugia
The problem in the emergency dept. is not caused by people going there for day-to-day emergencies, but by patients being put there from other departments because of lack of space.
There are quite a number of short term solutions available. St. Luke's Hospital can be used for social cases. Private hospitals can also be used, with prior arrangements with their owners (this is what used to be done more than 70 years ago). The 'basement' at MD hospital can be used. There are quite a number of rooms there that are hardly, if ever, used.
I do not think that you should politicize the matter, because if you check the rest of the comments, you will find that the absolute majority are blaming the present government for this mess.
Why should we compare ourselves to other countries hit by disasters? Heaven forbid a disaster from hitting us. We can't cope under 'normal' circumstances in our 'state of the art' hospital, let alone after some disaster has hit us!
K. Vella
Feb 20th 2010, 11:49
"Sptar state-of-the-art."
Mark borg
Feb 20th 2010, 11:46
J Farrugia the government is supposed to be planning, and making sure these things don't happen not us from home. there are a million solutions, one would be to use private hospitals, we won't grumble becuase of costs don't worry, life comes before money.
cgalea
Feb 20th 2010, 11:30
The backbone of our ‘state of the art’ hospital is based on skilled incompetence and full of garbage can decision making!! what a pity…
Muscat. Pat
Feb 20th 2010, 11:11
Its already planned! The welfare state as conceived by Mintoff, is being straddled year after year by the Conservatives-read nationalists-How? Simply look at the Government's fianancial numbers and you will see that the way the finances are managed, in five years time the numbers wan't add up. After a few years of PN mismangement the Government's debt is astronomical, does anyone in his senses think that living recklessly, through debt is sustainable? Of course not, and thats is why in few years time the Maltese workers and those who see themselves as middle class, will be asked to do a "greek" and an"irish" and sustain a decrease in salary, higher pension retirement ( 65? 68?) and the dismantling of the free medical system which PL set up. The irony is that many PN bloggers who are so anti Mintoff, and poor enough to rely on the free Mintoffian health care, are ferociously anti PL! So meditate gente,and remember that the PN is preparing the " nooze" just like it did to the drydocks workers, slowly but consistently the medical system will collapse, then workers and the middle class will have to pay: then you will be all set free!
Frank Portelli 2BFRANK
Feb 20th 2010, 11:09
@ Tony Mangion
I didn't just criticize - that is not me
Criticism alone is not enough
I proposed a number of solutions -- in various Fora - including in this esteemed newspaper
http://www.bongumalta.com/waiting-lists/4
Those with vested interests and malicious intent do their utmost to shoot down any proposal that will solve the problem -- including fabrication of lies.
Meanwhile patients continue to suffer
Dr Frank Portelli
C.ZARB
Feb 20th 2010, 11:08
The same brains behind little Mater Dei are now orchestrating the bus and primary health care reforms.
God save us all.
A. Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 11:00
Sptar li sewwa il-miljuni li huwa "State of the art" u li nbena ricenti u qeghdin f'din is-sitwazzjoni tal-biki! Kif qal il-habib John Bundy "konna u ghadna nghixu f'pajjiz tal-Mickey Mouse fejn ta fuq jigbdu l-ispaga u ahna l-pupazzi nimmarcjaw".
J Farrugia
Feb 20th 2010, 10:55
instead of all this blabber against the authorities, who are the same doctors, has anyone any idea how to solve the shortage of beds when so many patients are going in MD Hospital for emergencies, traffic accidents, normal medical trouble, etc.? ANy one has a short term solution to this recurrent problem? Has any labour gwappo any proposals to make to the authorities? Paroli biss ma naslu mkien. Bil-mixi fit-toroq ma nsibu ebda soluzzjonijiet. Anzi inkabbruhom,. Or do we want the authorites to start refusing traffic accident patients? Why not take a look at other countries how are they coping? Disasters. So why are we lamenting that at least a patient is being cured in a corridor instead being left to die like a pig in the streets. As for the doctors, we know that they have only two hands and one mind but no one can make the impossible. We have to adapt with the situations. What if an aircraft (God forbid) crashes today and we have some 300 patients for emergency? How will we cope? Instead of lamenting let's all thank God for small mercies.
Tony Mangion
Feb 20th 2010, 10:36
All this mess started under the premiership of Dr Eddie Fenech Adami, who some strong P.N. supporters still consider him as the best Prime Minister we ever had. From the start, this project has run out of his hands so much so that he had admitted of going mad whenever anyone mention the name of Mater Dei. Not so long ago even Dr Frank Portelli has, for a short time, critisised the method by which Mater Dei has been built.
With the present administration unable to offer a solution, is anyone responsable for the sufferings and dangers that our patients are encountering when making use of this hospital?.
Lawrence Fenech
Feb 20th 2010, 10:33
Patients at the hospital the last thing on their minds is the state of the art, what they look forward is the state of the treatment on time and effecient.
Philip Sultana
Feb 20th 2010, 10:32
Malta, how sad you've become!
J Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 10:32
X'jiswa jkollok sptar bl-aqwa apparat (kif jghidulna dejjem) imma b'nuqqas ta' sodod?
designONLYINMALTA.
M.Zammit
Feb 20th 2010, 10:24
Sitwazzjoni tassew gravi. Min hu in charge, sinjal li huwa l klassiku ezempju ta persuna li tibza tiehu r responsablita taghha.Hekk dak il bniedem kien imut f nofs il kuridur, nghid jien, f liem stat kienu jispiccaw il membri tal familja tieghu? hawnhekk qedin nitkellmu fuq stat ta sahha, ta emergenza!!! x nambih jien lis state of the art, il pjanti, r reception kbira u l cafeteria sabiha? meta lanqas ikolli sodda fej nistrieh mill ugih?? Prosit, "pass il quddiem" fit 2010, ahjar kien St Lukes....mhatra li jergaw jifthuh? nghid jien...kieku kien xi ministru flok dak ir ragel, tghid kienu ihalluh f nofs il kurridur? ajma.....
Peter Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 10:22
Government should seriously consider setting up an agreement with private hospitals. At a reasonable price (to both parties) these would surely be able to provide complimentary help. However government should not stay numb and react. The problem is already very serious, lets not wait for someone to die because of a lack of reactivity. If government is incapable of this, I think it should resign.
Tony Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 10:08
Mater Dei....great planning!! They've built a mortuary which is too big for the dead and then not enough beds for the living!!! If this was not sooooo tragic it would be a great comedy.
Who is going to take political responsability?
D. Scerri
Feb 20th 2010, 10:08
And we were promised state of the art facilities and service...komplu oholmu!
P.Cassar
Feb 20th 2010, 10:06
WHAT PROJECTIONS AND FORWARD PLANNING TOOK PLACE BEFORE MATER DEI WAS BUILT?
DR ALFRED SANT HAD INCREASED ANOTHER FLOOR BUT THIS WAS SCRAPED BY THE PN GOVT!!!!!!!
POOR US.
joe scerri
Feb 20th 2010, 10:04
Do not blame the doctors and nurses, they are doing their job.
The problem lies at much higher level.
John Micallef
Feb 20th 2010, 10:02
Allura nghid jien ta stupidu li jien, mhux ahjar izarma il famuz Mater Dei Mall (Li bill prezijiet li jbieghu qajla ara nies jixtru) u jaghmel temporally ward, forsi nigbru giehna. Hemm anke il VIP areas (li qatt manista nifhem ghalfejn ivinthom xi VIP, ghax f'dan il- pajjiz kulhadd l-istess taxxa jhallas.
Per ezempju jekk inhu vera dak li kien qal l-ex kandidat tal EU tal-istess gonzipn, hemm balla teatri tal awtopsji, u rkejen ohra, li pengejna fuq il pjanti, hallasna ghalihom u qatt ma ntuzaw ghax ma jibdiex juzhom ukoll?
Insomma li ma nistax nifhem hu, kif nametti li San Luqa ma kienx 5star, imma minnu l-istejjer li qed nismghu mil- Mater Dei qatt ma nstemghu bit-tajjeb u l-hazin li kellu.
BTW temporanjament ma tistax tintuza partin min st Lukes? Pls advise.
Ganni Tax-Payer.
Simon Caruana
Feb 20th 2010, 10:01
It is a shame that our medical staff has to work in such conditions. No wonder quite a few are leaving the island. Rather than pointing fingers it is about time that the a solution is found. If my memory is correct, the number of beds at Mater Dei was reduced (compared to St Lukes) as the 'social cases' issue was to be resolved. Apparently it has not.
g.c.Forte
Feb 20th 2010, 09:57
" Meta issemuli l-isptar Mater Dei nitkexkex " His excellency our ex President .How right you were. But I think that something fishy is going on...........This is not normal.......Mr. Minister..KEEP your eyes open, because might be that some body is not happy with your promotion.
M.Brincat
Feb 20th 2010, 09:54
Kellna nkunu c-centru tas-sahha u l-unika barranin li qed ikun hemm ghall-kura huma l-emigranti.
Issa rridu nkunu c-centru ta' l-informatika wkoll.
carmel borg
Feb 20th 2010, 09:48
Unfortunately these are things that happen. It's a hospital therefore one would find sick people. When there wasn't this problem of shortage of beds, there was also this risk of patients deteriorating, even while waiting to be allocated in a ward or even during transfer of a patient to a ward. I do not see the issue here. Maybe a paraventu could have been used
ray pace
Feb 20th 2010, 09:45
Ths situation is alarming. The whole system is crumbling. Thanks God that all is still in place, though situations as happened yesterday occur frequently and am saying this from experience. The patients, relatives and staff are frustrated whilst the hospital authorities remain silent....business as usual! We are witnessing the wrong decision taken in 1996 and confirmed in 1998. Human resources even on volantary basis should be employed immediately and retired staff should be re-integrated if they are allowed to...... so as to alleviate this part of the problem. The bed and medical treatment shortage should have been seen to years ago. The Government should postpone the Valletta project for a time and invest in another hospital and medical staff as the population is growing and ageing thus request for hospital beds will increase dramatically in the short and long term.
james grech
Feb 20th 2010, 09:41
Why doesn't government make use of the private hospitals? There were rumours some time ago that St.Philips' and St. James hospitals could be used to alleviate this shortage. Why doesn't the minister discuss these possibilities ASAP and rent at a reasonable price the facilities of these hospitals? TAKE ACTION NOW!!!!
Paul Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 09:38
For the sake of those who do not remember, the original plans for this hospital (St.Rafaele) was going to be around 200 beds. Good job that good sense gave in to Alfred Sant suggestion. Maybe it's time to rethink the plans. Size does matter.
J. Duca
Feb 20th 2010, 09:37
I personally witnessed this unacceptable situation in Mater Dei. Patients in stretchers parked all the way in the corridor, with nurses and visitors pushing them back and front to have access to rooms. Nurses in a state of panic (I do not blame them), an old man urinating infront of all, patients explaining their medical history to doctors without any privacy at all, old patients wrestling with their relatives to get out of bed and get away. ( no wonder the heart attacks). I am afraid to say that the last time I saw scenes like these was in a comical Fantozzi movie. And this is what we call State of the art Hospital. SHAME.
Mark Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 09:17
Par Idejn sodi u pjanar min quddiem bir-reqqa. tal-misthija ,possibli m'hemmx soluzjonijiet immedjati.?
PM Camilleri
Feb 20th 2010, 09:12
This is very worrying and disgraceful! So the problems that used to exist at St Luke's weren't solved at all. The building has changed, yes, but it seems that the problems were migrated across to Mater Dei! There was mention once of using private hospitals due to bed shortages. What has happened to this?
lewis Ellul
Feb 20th 2010, 09:10
Shabby conditions in our state-of-the-art hospital! As somebody else wrote - no wonder John Dalli left. Kollox ghan-nizla!
tabela
Feb 20th 2010, 09:07
veru state of the art. tal misthija
P. Mizzi
Feb 20th 2010, 09:07
Wasn't converting St. Luke's part of the original plan to solve the problem being caused by "abandonded" old people taking up hospital beds?? What happened to that?
R Axisa
Feb 20th 2010, 09:01
The building is really state of the art, but the service is everything but state of the art! Il-veru kaz ta' "kemm konna ahjar meta konna aghar!" What's the use of having a state of the art building but having such 'atrocious situations"? Nothing to boast about!
Franco Debono
Feb 20th 2010, 08:48
What is happening at Mater Dei is a 20 year accumulation of bad decisions, lack of basic planning, mismanagement, political use of the national health service as deceitful electoral ploys, political interference and to cap it all corruption in a variety of forms accross all levels.
David Magro
Feb 20th 2010, 08:47
Gone are the times when we used to say " from the cradle to the grave" ! Is this the masterpiece that GONZIPN promised us ? Shame on those in governement, and even more who are defending this ridiculous situation we are paying millions of tax to run each year.
Some advise Dr. Gonzi......please listen when Labour is stating that St.Lukes hospital is to be used as an alternative. Do not be stuborn, listen and if suggestion is feasabile adopt it....its for the good cause to all. Give the dignity to a sick person , to a dying person or to a mother who is waiting to give birth. Issma l-karba tal-poplu...twebbis rasek.
joe vella
Feb 20th 2010, 08:47
andrew cachia, you are very very right, anything and I mean absolutely anything that has to do with a government department is a DISASTER
despite all the nice rosy words, the situation simply gets worse
our administration would do very well if it were to take up jobs in some cosmetics factories, that is just about all they are good for!
J Oatmon
Feb 20th 2010, 08:43
It seems that the allocation of beds need to be prioritised, and recovered patients sent home speedily. Also 'dumped old age patients' need the police to visit their family's and have them collect their parents - family's unwilling to accept, and look after their elderly relatives, should be cut off from all government 'poverty assistance/ hand outs' programs and schemes.
What is alos needed is an in depth look at Mater Dei and a report on the way it is organised, by outside consultants - then what needs to be done will not be covered in a smokescreen of political points scoring.
Its a great hospital, but it needs to be properly used, by the application of modern management techniques and processes, and work procedures. Monthly meetings by all the stakeholders could help foster the required cooperation and team work.
Mark Piscopo
Feb 20th 2010, 08:40
@all blogger
I have a relative who works as a doctor in Mater Dei and yesterday informed that there is a very drastic problem caused by bed shortage and told me that I tell all my friends that we must only go to emergency dept if only we are feeling very ill.The Doctors and the nurses are doing and excellent job at Mater Dei and currently in many cases are treating patients in the corridors of the hospital due to bed shortage.
Jason Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 08:37
As usual, nobody takes responsibility for this mess. Where are the "par idejn sodi" I was promised and voted for? Dr. Gonzi, you are a disgrace to the PN and this country. Move out of the way, please.
simon cutajar
Feb 20th 2010, 08:35
What a state of disaster is in this country ! The goverment spend Millions of liri to biult this hospital and it's in this state ! what a shame of goverment we have . I can't understand how we just keep on going and we don't do nothing .This is not a " PN ' Or 'PL' case , but this is case that we paid for it and we must get the full service for it ........ and the staff over there are the most of ... We must do something NOW !
Edgar S. Galea
Feb 20th 2010, 08:33
The shortage of beds should be considered in this light: patients who are discharged and remain occuping a bed should be obliged to pay for staying in hospital.
E Vella
Feb 20th 2010, 08:32
"We feel this situation is far from acceptable, shameful and downright appalling. It needs to be remedied today,"
Did the doctors and nurses who wrote the letter include any suggestions how the situation can be remedied?
Ludwig Flask
Feb 20th 2010, 08:31
@ rhuber: I would rephrase as following, "No wonder John Dalli got a promotion!"
ALBERT FENECH
Feb 20th 2010, 08:31
Would somebody kindly remind me how much we (i.e. the Maltese taxpayers) had to cough up (an appropriate expression under these circumstances) to fund the building and equipping of this hospital? Furthermore, who is currently responsible for translating this expense relative to the care and facilities it is offering the Maltese people who paid for it?
If this were a private enterprise, the Chairman and Board of Directors would either promptly resign, or, failing this, they would be instantly dismissed by the shareholders.
C.ZARB
Feb 20th 2010, 08:31
State of the art.....same as MEPA and Frontex.
Now I am looking forward for the 'state of the art' public transport and the cost of the 'state of the art' Valletta gate.
C Grech
Feb 20th 2010, 08:19
I thought the one of the reasons for building Mater Dei and the millions spent on it was to alleviate the bed shortages that were a sore point at St. Luke's. Mater Dei looks massive, compared to St. Luke's so are the wards smaller or are there more hospitalised patients now???Unbelievable!
joe Vella
Feb 20th 2010, 08:16
As a patient in St. Luke's, I had reasonable treatment from the medical staff, however my convalescence was on a bed in the corridor, my privacy was when I covered myself with the blanket.
Next to my bed there was a closed door with a red light on top coming on all the time, each time the light comes on, the staff rushed instantly inside this door.
Later I discovered it was a VIP service room, with nurse inside, fresh coffee, TV, telephone and home cooking.
I guess those in the inner circle of the inner circle do know how to take care of themselves, and I say good for them.
I just wonder these same people, if they are having this same VIP treatment, in this New Hospital or left in the corridor as us commoners? maybe this time VIP rooms have been pulled down!
I taught we have a state of the art hospital to be able to tackle today's needs.
Yes Sir! Mater Help us! is more appropriate as a name.
joyce aquilina
Feb 20th 2010, 08:13
state of the art...what a joke
E.Abela
Feb 20th 2010, 08:06
We can call Mater Dei Hospital "State Of The Art" when it has all the necessities a hospital should have. "It's a shame to read all this" so please before you allocate money for the Rehabilitation of Valletta, allocate enough money for the hospital necessities. First things first ! and our health comes before everything.
C.Caruana
Feb 20th 2010, 08:06
This is the state of the art hospital which cost millions of euros and years to build.
Eric Gahn
Feb 20th 2010, 07:59
@Andrew Cachia: Gonzi & Friends happened. And I do mean friends. They are the ones taking money from Govt project while the rest of us simple workers are left to sloly die.
Joseph Grech-Attard
Feb 20th 2010, 07:56
'State of the art' mismanagement (as all the island, for all that matters!)
J.Borg
Feb 20th 2010, 07:55
We heard Minister Cassar say that yes there is a problem with shortage of beds. He continued this will be solved by having a rehabilitation hospital which still has to be built. Wasn't this situation seen before and i say until this hospital is built why doesn't the governemnt refurbish part of St.Luke's Hospital and use it as a rehabilitation Hospital. Surely money can be found and if need be we stop other projects and spend the money on this, as i think people's health comes before imprtant projects.
Andrew Cachia
Feb 20th 2010, 07:44
What is happening? Everything related to government departments , authorities and institutions is messed up.
rhuber
Feb 20th 2010, 07:41
No wonder John Dalli escaped from it all.