Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia has blamed his predecessor’s failure to act on a €1 million report for the precarious situation at the hospital emergency department.

The report by Johns Hopkins University was commissioned two years ago and made a number of recommendations to improve Mater Dei Hospital’s management, the minister said yesterday. It cost taxpayers €1 million.

Ex-minister Cassar chose not to act on the suggestions of the experts he appointed

Dr Farrugia said the report listed a number of operational problems and former Health Minister Joe Cassar had it in his hands for more than a year.

“Ex-minister Cassar chose not to start the implementation process and act on the suggestions of the experts he appointed,” Dr Farrugia added.

Describing the hospital’s emergency department as “one of the burdens” inherited from the previous Administration, Dr Farrugia blamed his predecessor for the “deteriorating situation”.

“As a result, people had to wait for longer periods, were put on stretchers in corridors and Area 2 was transformed into a transitory ward,” he said.

Dr Cassar was unfazed by the criticism, saying that hospital management had started implementing some of the recommendations made by Johns Hopkins.

“The report was voluminous and tackled all management aspects of hospital, not just the accident and emergency department... not all expert recommendations are implemented from the word go,” he said when contacted.

He explained that the report took a whole year to compile because the experts met all clinical people, giving advice throughout.

Dr Cassar could not say when the report was finalised.

“When it was ready, Mater Dei management dissected it and met groups of people in different sections to start the implementation process,” Dr Cassar said, adding the hospital chief executive could confirm this.

The Health Ministry has set up an action committee that includes porters, consultants and hospital managers to deal with the problems in the emergency department.

The committee is discussing solutions to the overcrowding in the department, including the use of the ambulance garage.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com