Mater Dei Hospital has managed to work around the nurses’ union’s directives for its members not to ride in hired ambulances, ensuring patients will not bear the brunt of the industrial action.

The two private ambulances being hired by Mater Dei have been dedicated to “transportation”, meaning they will only be used to respond to an emergency if all other seven ambulances are occupied.

For the rest of the time, they will be used to transport patients to and from hospital when they cannot get a taxi or a lift from a relative or friend.

“In such cases, nurses are not required,” a Health Ministry spokesman said.

In the “unlikely event” that Mater Dei’s seven ambulances are all being used, the two hired ambulances might be forced to respond to emergencies.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses escalated its industrial action against the authorities on Thursday after it emerged that the ambulances used during Wednesday’s Gudja feast explosion were inadequate.

Blast victim Bjorn Callus, 25, described his ambulance ride as “off-roading”. The vehicle crashed into a central strip, sustained a puncture and arrived at hospital “practically on the rims”.

Another ambulance arrived on the scene 90 minutes after it was summoned because the first one that was dispatched developed a fault on its way. The MUMN said the incident had confirmed its fears about the quality of the ambulances, their lack of maintenance and the fact that they were being driven by untrained and inexperienced drivers.

It said the drivers were hired following an advert on Facebook, which requested no experience or qualifications.

The hospital insisted that all hired ambulances complied with European standards and drivers were only recruited after fulfilling the criteria set by the Emergency Admission Department.

The hospital said the delayed arrival of the ambulance referred to by MUMN was being investigated and appropriate action would be taken accordingly.

However, it said the MUMN’s directive had “no justification” and also breached the law.

Meanwhile, the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin directed ambulance porters not to assist inadequately trained drivers.

The UĦM said it had insisted with the ministry that the ambulances should be changed and the union was informed that the ambulances were to be replaced within six months, half of them by the end of the year.

The union also said it has been demanding that another 10 ambulance drivers need to be recruited in order to replace the ones that had retired over the past decade.