Work practices need changing to tackle bed shortage - minister

The main way of tackling the bed shortage problem is by changing work practices, Health Minister Joe Cassar insisted this morning.

Reacting to recent statements by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses that Mater Dei was too small, Dr Cassar said that 80 to 100 beds at the hospital were being used badly.

These beds were being used by people who should either be at home, in rehabilitation or at a home for the elderly.

He proposed opening the outpatients department until 6 p.m. giving doctors the option to work in afternoon instead of in the morning so as not to upset their private practice.

Dr Cassar questioned on which scientific study had MUMN based its claim that an additional 500 beds were needed.

He said that there was currently about 900 beds and a staff of 4,000 people at Mater Dei. The calculation for another 500 beds was that between 1,500 and 2,000 professionals would be needed. Where would they come from, the minister asked.

He also insisted that contrary to what the union was claiming, it was not unsafe to have two beds in one bedded rooms.

"Ultimately this is something that had been suggested by the medical profession and not a random decision," he said.

Dr Cassar was speaking during a visit to the orthopaedic ward this morning, where 4,881 operations were carried out last year – 2,214 of which were scheduled, the rest were emergency.

He said that one had to appreciate that since the number of emergencies was so high, one could not blame the professionals for the waiting list for the scheduled operations.

Dr Cassar noted that most of the orthopaedic patients were elderly and the most common operations were knee and hip replacements. He noted that a knee replacement cost the hospital around €3,000, a hip replacement €6,000 to €7,000.

The hospital, Dr Cassar said, had been working closely with the geriatric unit that followed up on the elderly patients.

A social worker helped these patients cope with life after surgery. The unit, he noted, also carried out spine operations and at intervals, UK experts came to help out with scoliosis operations.

The idea, he said, was to minimise the number of patients having to go abroad for an operations.