Update 2: Government needs to tackle hospital bed shortage problem - PL
(Adds government statement)
The bed shortage at Mater Dei is putting the hospital in the worst situation possible, PL spokesman Marie-Louise Coleiro-Preca said.
She said in a statement that people needing care were being kept in corridors on stretchers or sofas for days. People in grievous or serious conditions were being kept waiting for hours and without a bed in a room where they could be given proper care for days.
It was shameful that after all the people's investment in the project they could not have their mind at rest that they would get suitable and dignified should they need it.
Such hardship was not being suffered just by patients but also by the staff. The situation could not continue with the government adopting temporary measures to solve the problem.
The government should be honest and stop blaming the elderly, who it referred to as social cases.
OPPOSITION LACKS VISION - GOVERNMENT
In a reply to Mrs Coleiro-Preca, the government said it was clear that the Opposition did not have a vision for the health sector.
The Opposition ignored the realities of the sector including the increase in services and the advances made because of the care being given.
These advances were leading to an increase in the average age of Maltese and Gozitans and the government was responding to this by strengthening services and taking concrete initiatives.
The ministry said that an average of 300 people were admitted to the Emergency Department daily with an average 66 of them requiring treatment in hospital. A substantial number could be easily served in health centres or by family doctors.
Although these people were still treated at the department, priority was given to people who needed more immediate attention because of the nature of their illness or incident.
Several initiatives were taken at the department recently for the people to get a quicker service. The number of consultants was doubled to seven, another 20 beds were added for people who needed to be kept under observation and these were to be increased by another 16 shortly.
Better use was being made of resources in hospital to maximise potential with, among other initiatives, the creation of a discharge lounge, investment in community care, contractual arrangements with private entities and an increase in beds at homes for the elderly.
In a statement this afternoon, the Emergency Nurses' Union expressed support for a letter to the health minister by 60 nurses at the department, complaining that conditions at the department were still unacceptable.
The letter was given to the minister at the end of a course in pre-hospital care.
The ENU called on the government to give the department the required attention for the benefit of both patients and nurses.
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26 Comments
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Victor Vella
Feb 3rd, 22:13
Ms M. C.Preca was correct in her statements. A friend of mine spend 5 days on a chair in the emergency department of M.D. hospital deprived of privacy that only one can see in a hospital in Bangladesh or a reminiscent of picture that we see in our history books of the Maltese hospital, where now is housed the `Dar tal- Mediterran` in Valletta during the knights of St. John. Disgrace.
Joseph E Briffa
Feb 4th, 10:19
If your friend spent 5 days in a chair in the Emergency Department and survived, he/she did not have any business to be there at all; hardly a case of emergency.
Joseph E Briffa
Feb 3rd, 21:45
With all due respect to Ms Coleiro Preca...but one would be forgiven for asking since when has the lady become an expert on hospital matters? As far as I know the lady has never been involved in the field of medicine or hospital management; people like Michael Farrugia or Mr Zammit would in my opinion be much more suitable to speak about this subject.
Shaun Camilleri
Feb 3rd, 16:09
What do you suggest Ms. Coleiro Preca?
E. Azzopardi
Feb 3rd, 16:06
The government needs to tackle and address many other things. However, as we always say, when in opposition, one can critisize anything under the moon. I sincerely, sincerely hope, that if Labour takes over from the this administration, whenever that may be, they will remember all that they have said ( and it has been a lot!!) and tackle and address all that they are now saying that is not functioning properly. After all this criticism for so many years, the PEOPLE demand it. On the other hand, NEVER MAKE A PROMISE YOU CANNOT KEEP.
Karl Consiglio
Feb 3rd, 15:24
Just attacking the government without offering their solutions(say they make it to govern instead) as usual.
S Micallef
Feb 3rd, 15:04
Ms. Coleiro Preca...how about starting from all those you dump their elderly relatives in hospital? Or those who burden the hospital requesting free treatment when they can easily afford it themselves or make do with a clinic.
Alex Falzon
Feb 3rd, 14:57
The forecast in healthcare is unpredictable... the government may decide to add another 200 beds and perhaps result in the same situation. At the moment as well there is a lack of personnel too both with the government & private entities.
James Dimech
Feb 3rd, 14:26
Saqsi in-nanna u n-nannu ta' Joseph Muscat. Ghax fuqhom biss tkellem fl-ahhar Kunsill tal-Lejber
Fran Abela
Feb 3rd, 14:22
Ms. Coleiro Preca it would be nice if you could come up with solutions rather be ready to criticise all the time. I am not saying that you may not be right. I think that the problem of shortage of beds is due to the fact that people who used to stay at private hospitals are now choosing to stay at Mater Dei and also the fact that some elderly are being left at the hospital by their relatives is also contributing to the problem. So if some bright alec can come up with suggestion/solutions as part of seeing what you can do for your country rather than expect everything to be done for you might be a good thought.
j brincat
Feb 3rd, 13:59
Who is going to shoulder responsible for these shameful happenings at our Mater Dei Hospital which also goes by the name of State of the Art?
As usual, NOBODY!
(jb)
Ms Maria Vella
Feb 3rd, 13:25
As usual PL stating the 'obvious' and not coming up with some suggestions.
Jennifer Grech
Feb 3rd, 13:19
the old isolation hospital at manoel island is to be restored, saint lukes could be restored also. all out patient departments could be done at the old saint lukes, that would allow more rooms to be used for beds at mater dei, and manoel island should be restored as another hospital once again giving malta two non private hospitals, with only one hospital god knows what would happen should there be a major disaster ?most countrys abroad suffer the same bed shortage BUT thats when there is a flu epidemic or an outbreak of decease, we have no excuse the hospital is too small, we dont need a new valletta gate or open theatre health care should come first
T Cassar
Feb 3rd, 21:16
Why don't we build a 500,000 bed hospital just in case? Come on Ms Grech, how can you state what happens in 'counties abroad' when the nursing shortage is a worldwide problem and issues are regularly raised in hospitals in the UK and Italy which one would hope you have access to news about.
Let us say that the quick politicizing of every issue by the public causes horn locking rather than praise that staff who recognize problems and advocate for their patients, are encouraging discussion so that solutions are found. The public should learn what the hospital is there for, health centers must be audited to ascertain that the best use is being made of the resources, GPs must be educated to refer patients to the right point, eg to outpatients for long standing conditions. Dental patients should be triaged at the dental department as should happen for ophthalmic patients and ENT patients and peadiatric patients. It is absolutely silly for a patient refered to one of these specialities by his GP or Health Center to have to go through the Emergency department.
But we prefer to waste time and energy gaining political points so the most convenient thing to do is to fantasize about unnecessary projects rather than how to increase efficiency and curb abuses. This would after all not increase the tax burden! Some weeks ago a person had to be escorted out of the Emergency department because he was not in need of care but insisted that he wanted to take a shower there and receive food. Should we aim to educate or abuse people's taxes by being careless with people's taxes in a finite world?
maria aquilina
Feb 3rd, 13:16
WHat do you say if you need to fix an appointment for an eye test and you are offered an appointment in two years.The clinic is the only place to go because in hospital you are seen only if you had an eye operation.
Jonathan Scerri
Feb 3rd, 12:50
Is it possible that planners did not foresee the demand in 17 years of construction? The Maltese population did not have any particularly high unforeseeable changes. So why do we have this shortage?
The hospital is a "state of the art" building, no question about that. But does it serve its purpose and the population's needs? After all it has taken a big chunk of our hard-earned taxes.
Marco Galea
Feb 3rd, 12:22
If I had a choice ... I prefer staying on a stretcher but well attended than the daily stories we hear on Italian TV stations ... ok, in Italy they have every single hospital of clinic with enough wards for people to accommodate, but the daily stories of "malasanita" are shocking ... how many stories of people going for a tonsils removal operation and return to their family in coma or dead do we hear in Malta? In Italy this simple operation )which we Maltese used to do it at home!!! by a private doctor and not a surgeon) is like going for death row!
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Feb 3rd, 15:11
Yeah, and in Romania and Bulgaria things are even worse. But why should we keep on comparing ourselves with other countries that fare worse than us and just say "at least we are better off". That is a bad point of view to take as otherwise we will never improve.
Alan Xuereb
Feb 3rd, 12:06
For sure it's a problem and it needs to be tackled ASAP. But also, thank God that when Dr.EFA re-planned Mater Dei to make it bigger, a huge fuss was emerged by the MLP. I really wonder what she have to say if the PN stuck itself to the original plans for Mater Dei ,then named 'San Raffaele'. Or is it short memory term?
Toni Cardona
Feb 3rd, 13:14
Are you sure that your memory is alive and well?
I think it was a very different story!
Francis Sammut
Feb 3rd, 14:55
I think sir, your memory is a bit on the short side. Politics aside, it was Dr. Alfred Sant during his short stay in government who increased (re-planned) the beds by 200 since originally San Raffaele was to be a specialised hospital catering for special diseases. Then, after 1998 the Dr.E.Fenech Adami government continued on that plan. As an aside, what's keeping the government in increasing the hospital beds by say another 200? There's going to be a new Parliament, whether one agrees or not, there it is but it seems that where it really matters, our health there don't seem to be the funds and the will! Now I don't want anyone jumping on me to explain that we have a very good health system and all that. I know. I'm talking about the hospital and namely the number of beds. Because let's face it, that seems to be the main problem. I hope everyone can agree.
Victor Rodenas
Feb 3rd, 11:46
It`s like building a two bedroomed house for a family of eight,...bad planning!
carmel callus
Feb 3rd, 13:18
Xi dnub ma kinux qabduk bhala konsulent!
James Dimech
Feb 3rd, 14:25
Qabel ma gie Mater Dei u kien "San Raffaele", Alfred Sant kien qal li dan kien kappricc ghal Malta
S. Zammit
Feb 3rd, 11:39
The Govmt is not blaming the elderly. Its their relatives who leave them there who are to blame.
joe galea
Feb 3rd, 11:33
What a mess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!