Some 800 surgeries paid for by the government will be carried out at St James’ Hospital by the end of this year, health minister Chris Fearne said during a press briefing this morning.

Addressing journalists at the Sliema hospital earlier, Mr Fearne said the government had already footed the bill for over 300 surgeries carried out at the private hospital.

Until a few years ago, the waiting list for knee replacements stood at some 1,700 patients. This had been cut down to about 790 patients, with the waiting time for such surgeries going from about eight years to just over a year-and-a-half.

“Patients are getting the same service as those who are paying for the service here. Instead, the government foots the bill,” Mr Fearne said, pointing out that this was costing the government the same as it would had it implemented other measures, such as the building of new wards, to cut down waiting lists.

In the future, he said, other surgeries would also be offered by the private hospital and paid for by the government. These would include ear, nose and throat surgeries as well as hernia procedures.