A friend of mine recently told me about the difficulties he encountered to make an appointment with a specialist at Mater Dei Hospital.

He first went to the clinic in his district and the doctor recommended he sees a specialist; he was given a referral note and told to set up an appointment at Mater Dei.

My friend tried to make an appointment by phone, only to be told that he had to hand in his referral note personally. Unable to drive because of his condition, he went to hospital by bus.

When he arrived at hospital, the receptionist took his ticket and told him he will be sent his appointment by mail.

Imagine somebody going to Mater Dei all the way from Ċirkewwa or Marsaxlokk just to hand in a referral note and then go back home.

This is absolutely ridiculous! Do the authorities not realise how hard and difficult this can be for those who are not 100 per cent fit?

In this modern age, is it really necessary to make people go through such a hassle instead of making an appointment online or by phone?