St Luke’s Hospital may yet see a return of acute patients as government evaluates all possibilities to address the bed shortage in the health sector.
Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia yesterday would not rule out using “space” at the former acute general hospital in Pietà when quizzed about the matter on One TV’s breakfast show.
A recent World Health Organisation report has confirmed the country lacks some 400 acute hospital beds apart from hundreds of others for elderly patients in long-term care.
Earlier this year the nurses’ union had called for the construction of another acute general hospital.
With Mater Dei unable to cope with the country’s growing needs Dr Farrugia said the government’s long-term plan was considering “all options”.
There is space that can be used and is being considered
“There is space at St Luke’s Hospital that can be used and is being considered,” he said, stopping short of actually saying that the former hospital would be re-opened.
Dr Farrugia did not elaborate, adding the details would be known in the near future.
When Mater Dei opened its doors in 2008 the general hospital was transferred to the new building but St Luke’s was not vacated completely.
The Karin Grech wing continues to be used as a rehabilitation hospital and the previous outpatient area houses the administration and stores for the Pharmacy Of Your Choice scheme.
The former hospital building still falls within the remit of the Health Ministry.
Information given in Parliament by Dr Farrugia last week shows that Mater Dei Hospital is expected to have 56 more beds by year’s end with another 68 to become available by the end of 2015.
He said this would help close the “festering wound” of patients being treated in corridors but admitted it was still not enough to achieve the final target of zero beds in corridors.
Dr Farrugia yesterday explained that the creation of more bed space was made possible after the dentistry faculty at the University of Malta gave up two lecture theatres at Mater Dei.
The psychiatric unit will be transferred to this area and the space freed up by this move was used to place more beds.
Drawing contrasts with the numbers of patients in corridors in previous years, Dr Farrugia said there had been 1,700 between January and February in 2012, 800 in 2013 and just 324 in the first two months of this year.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com