Elderly patients needing specialised medical care were blocking hospital beds, leading to a long wait for beds at the emergency ward, Health Minister Joe Cassar said yesterday.

“Unfortunately, there are many elderly people who are taking up beds in hospital because they have nowhere else to go,” he said.

Dr Cassar was reacting to a statement by the newly-set up Emergency Nurses Union, which criticised the long wait – of up to six hours, it claimed – for patients to be given a bed in the emergency department.

He was concerned about the long waiting periods but pointed out that people also required more specialised care and homes that could cater for their needs. Such people could not go to residential homes, such as the one in Mellieħa, for example, because it was not equipped to provide the specialised care they would need.

Dr Cassar said the long waiting time was also related to a shortage of nurses, especially those specialised to take care of the elderly, and unequipped health centres.

He argued that the backlog worsened because of the nurses’ shortage and pointed out that many cases which could be dealt with at health centres were ending up at the main hospital, exacerbating the problem. The government took one step to improving the Mosta health centre yesterday as Dr Cassar launched a digital X-ray machine that will save patients the hassle of waiting at Mater Dei Hospital.

“This is another step in improving Malta’s primary healthcare system,” he said.

Any X-ray taken at the centre will be immediately sent through an electronic system to the radiology department at Mater Dei where it will be seen by a bone specialist.

The technique uses the picture archiving and communication system – Pacs – and allows the radiologist at hospital and the health centre to both view the X-ray and discuss a diagnosis, and treatment if necessary, a few minutes after it was taken.

The system, costing about €350,000, also eliminates the need for X-rays to be carried to Mater Dei.

An elderly woman who fell down the stairs two days ago and walked into the health centre for an X-ray accepted to showcase how the system worked.

“I’m not happy you fell down the stairs. You have to be more careful,” Dr Cassar jokingly admonished the patient as she prepared to use the machine.

The health authorities decided to set up the system at the Mosta health centre because it is one of the busiest – mainly because many people move to the Buġibba and Qawra in summer – and remains open 24 hours.

The digital X-ray service will operate for 12 hours, from 7.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., and eventually will be extended to another two health centres.

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