Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
I have followed the debate regarding the shortcomings in the hospital system and recently came across the following published statistics regarding the number of beds per capita in the EU.
The EU as a whole averages 5.3 hospital beds per 1,000 heads of population. However, in the UK, for example, there are only 2.6 beds per 1,000 heads of population, that is, slightly less than half the EU average.
What are the equivalent number of hospital beds in Malta? To equal the EU average we would need more that 2,000. To be down to the UK level we would need only slightly more than 1,000.
Any guesses? Or how about the actual facts?