Mater Dei Hospital requires 400 more beds to handle acute cases, according to Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia.

The significant shortage is distinct from any beds that could be required for rehabilitation purposes.

Dr Farrugia yesterday told Times of Malta the estimate was based on workings done by the Health Ministry after taking into account the country’s ageing population.

“If you look at the demographics and the signs from Mater Dei Hospital’s operational experience one can easily reach the conclusion that the hospital does not meet the demand and one of the factors is lack of beds for acute cases,” he said.

Dr Farrugia had just addressed the council of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses.

Malta’s average number of acute hospital beds when compared to the population was “much lower” than the EU average, he added.

The nurses’ union is clamouring for the construction of a new hospital to solve the severe bed shortage at Mater Dei.

Paul Pace, president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, said that focusing on primary healthcare and providing more bed space at homes for the elderly was not enough. “These are essential to alleviate the pressure on the hospital but even when this is done we will still need more acute hospital beds,” Mr Pace said.

He noted that the union had suggested funds from the citizenship programme be dedicated to building a new hospital and urged the government to encourage youth to join nursing courses.

Dr Farrugia told nurses the government would wait for a report by the World Health Organisation on the state of healthcare in Malta, which should be out in February.

The report would cover both the public and private sectors and provide an objective assessment of the state of primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, he said.

“It will look at what is good and bad with our healthcare system, including where we have to improve. It will also give the direction where we should be going,” Dr Farrugia said.

Out of bounds

A million-euro report on reforming Mater Dei Hospital cannot be made public because of a confidentiality clause inserted by its American authors.

The Johns Hopkins report, named after the world-famous Johns Hopkins University that carried out the study, was commissioned by the government in the last legislature but has remained under wraps ever since.

Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia yesterday said the authors had imposed a condition that prevented the report from being distributed to the public. However, he insisted the report’s conclusions were being heeded to improve the hospital’s clinical practices.

“It is not hidden in my drawer as it was before. It is a work in progress and we are using it to improve best practice,” Dr Farrugia said.

Asked for his reaction, PN health spokesman Claudio Grech said the report should “definitely be published” .

“I haven’t seen the contractual conditions and if there is commercially-sensitive information I can understand this being withheld. I see nothing wrong with it being made public.”

ksansone@timesofmalta.com