The acquisition of St Philip’s Hospital by the government confirmed the lack of planning which had gone into the building of Mater Dei, the Labour Party said today.
PL leader Joseph Muscat pointed out that Mater Dei Hospital was opened just four years ago after an outlay of some €600m.
Furthermore, the governemnt was also spending millions on the building of a new Oncology Hospital which was originally meant to be part of Mater Dei.
Dr Muscat said all this confirmed the governemnt’s lack of long-term planning.
However, he said, the problems of the health sector would not be solved simply by adding more hospital beds, and the country also needed better management and planning.
MUMN WELCOMES DECISION
The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) has welcomed the acquisition by the government of St Philips Hospital, saying this was in line with what it had been advocating for three years.
"The shortage of beds in Mater Dei hospital and the fact that Malta has an ageing population are some of the criteria which MUMN took into consideration before recommending an increase the country's hospital bed capacity," the union said.
[attach id=212418 size="medium"][/attach]
"These new beds could be a blessing to our patients especially since St Philip's hospital can hold up to 300 patients through future development, and this will reduce the pain and suffering of the patients in the corridors of Mater Dei Hospital.
"This is truly a decision which is in favour of the Maltese population and a decision which has been taken in the right time as it ties nicely with this year's recruitment of more than 200 nurses."
Four groups of students (instead of the usual two) have graduated from the University of Malta. The increase in the number of graduates was partly the outcome of an agreement reached by the MUMN which as brought an end of the numerous clausus for all nursing courses, the union pointed out.
The union reiterated the need for the government to reform primary healthcare to further ease the pressures from hospitals.