Medical care should not take this long

Last September, my personal doctor sent a letter to Mater Dei Hospital informing them of my knee injury and insisting that I receive a hospital check-up.

After nine months of persistent pain, the day of my appointment arrived. After the check-up the junior professor (assistant) told me that I had to wait again for the MRI. It would have been acceptable to wait for just a few weeks but upon receiving the letter containing my appointment date I was left shocked and bewildered - another six months of waiting, the pain never ceasing.

On top of that, to be operated upon I would surely have had to wait for another year because our state-of-the-art hospital is everything but efficient.

The majority of the Maltese never asked for a glossy hospital but for an efficient, attentive and professional service. Is it acceptable for a 22-year-old to wait for years until he is checked and operated on? Or is he supposed to go to a private hospital, pay thousands of euros from a minimum wage when, after all, he's paying taxes to get this service, efficiently of course, for free?