For a long time the Gozo General Hospital, now in its fourth decade, was considered a gem within local health services, being newer and cleaner than its counterpart in Malta.
However, in 2007 St Luke’s Hospital was replaced by Mater Dei Hospital, which in many respects is a ‘state of the art’ hospital – its only main drawback being bed shortage.
Gozo General Hospital now stands out for the wrong reasons.
The operating theatres have been transferred to the maternity unit. This was supposed to be for a short period, but two years have now elapsed and it is set to stay that way for many months, till the EU-funded refurbishment of the original operating theatres is resumed and eventually completed.
The reasons for this delay are clouded in mystery. The makeshift operating suites fall well below accepted standards but in the meantime Gozitans have to suffer in silence.
If it were not for the Friends of the Elderly previously and the CCU foundation today, the equipment at Gozo General Hospital would only excel in a medical history museum. Together these two foundations have sponsored almost all the equipment at the Renal Unit and Coronary Care Unit/Intensive Therapy unit, which are the only well-equipped units at the hospital.
There are not enough infusion pumps to meet the needs on both male and female general wards. These have to be shared between wards according to demand. Proper emergency trolleys are non-existent in a number of wards which does not augur well in case of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Is it time to consider a new set-up in the segregation of patients? Is it time to consider sub-sectioning of the wards into surgical, orthopaedic, medical, high dependency, intensive therapy, cardiac, and so on? Or should we remain stuck in the past?
Lots of equipment is lacking at the Gozo General Hospital, but above all there is a lack of services.
In a hospital catering for only 25,000 people one would not expect to have the full-time services of a cardiologist or other specialised doctors. But would it be a huge achievement if such specialists are shared with Mater Dei on a more regular basis?
If an individual has a breathing problem in Gozo he is dealt with by a general physician while in Malta he is treated by a respiratory doctor.
If a Gozitan has a problem with his waterworks he is cared for by a general surgeon while in Malta he is referred to a urologist.
In the absence of these services Gozo residents have no option but to visit specialists in the private sector.
Moreover, medical and paramedical staff at the Gozo Hospital, who work in a shabby environment with archaic equipment, lack motivation. It is an open secret that one’s transfer to Gozo in any profession, including health, spells the end of one’s career progression. This is a pity. What can we do to prevent this professional decline?
A structured continuous medical education programme and its rigorous assessment is the cornerstone to keep staff abreast of the new trends and practices. This could be complemented by an organised systematic rotation of junior doctors and paramedics at Mater Dei.
It is difficult enough to keep up with the rapid advances in medicine working in Malta, so imagine being restricted to tiny Gozo with a small catchment population that offers a limited variety of pathology. Specialists in Malta should be encouraged to contribute on a regular basis with lectures and tutorials in Gozo, and these could be easily combined with their clinical commitments on the island.
There is no doubt that Gozo General Hospital is in a dire need of systematic refurbishment. The main corridors are riddled with potholes, the glaring wall fissures and the asbestos hanging from ceiling in certain areas of the hospital speak for themselves. If we have a vision of eco Gozo with the notion of responsible tourism we also need to provide these quality tourists top notch health services.
The progressively ageing Gozitan population coupled with the ever increasing search for optimal health care means that the burden on the Gozo General Hospital is only set to increase with time.
Politically it appears that the administration of health services in Gozo fall under the responsibility of the Gozo Ministry while the services are under the Ministry of Health. While the payroll for the workers is originating from St Francis Square the tools have to be supplied by the administrators in Merchants Street.
These ambiguities and grey areas create shortcomings in the provision of health services in Gozo that must be addressed.
Mr Mercieca is an ophthalmic surgeon and prospective Labour Party candidate.