The back-up generator at Mater Dei Hospital took four minutes to start up following a power cut at around 9.40am, the hospital said.

Mater Dei said that in those four minutes, hospital professionals acted in line with the training they received during the year and took decisions in the best interest of patients.

Most of the machinery, particularly that considered vital, was equipped with a reserve of emergency energy which started automatically in a power cut, it said, adding that the hospital system returned to normal within minutes, Mater Dei said.