Two journalists and 14 Libyans seriously injured on the battlefield in Sirte were flown to Malta aboard an air ambulance yesterday evening to be treated in hospitals here.
The Maltese and nurses are already making huge sacrifices due to the shortfalls that occurred when planning the hospital
But while the health authorities were accepting the injured with open arms, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses was not so welcoming, complaining in a statement about the “huge influx” of patients arriving in Malta.
The union protested the fact that it was not consulted about the government’s intentions and any contingency plans and warned it would back staff refusing to nurse people in corridors, which it said would render the task impossible and similar to third world countries.
Meanwhile, fighting has been raging in the loyalist-held coastal town of Sirte after a setback for anti-Gaddafi forces at Bani Walid, a town southeast of Tripoli. Civilians claimed they were being used as human shields while more revolutionaries were moving into the cities.
The casualties brought here, quite a few aged between 18 and 20, suffered shrapnel and shot wounds. Many are in critical condition. They were assessed by a Maltese medical team shortly after landing so the most urgent cases would be treated first. Most were taken to Mater Dei and a couple sent to a private hospital.
Treatment started during the flight on the Qatari Air Force C170, while Mater Dei prepared for the patients, sources said.
Not every patient required intensive care, the local authorities said, adding that they were flown to Malta because hospitals in Libya were overloaded and could not cope. The two journalists are Portuguese and Italian. The nature of their injuries is not known.
Earlier in the day, the MUMN set the alarm ringing when members reported that areas in the hospital, which are not equipped for patients, were being cleared.
The union said this was not the right approach and that nurses would not be used as “the sacrificial lamb in a political saga”. The union threatened it would not allow additional beds in the existing wards, which already did not have adequate nursing staff levels, and insisted the government had to keep in mind the welfare of the nation and not resort to decisions “just to please the international community”.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said on Sunday that Malta had offered to accept 25 Libyans for medical treatment.
Sources said some of the 16 who arrived yesterday could end up being moved on to hospitals in other countries, so other patients could be sent over to Malta for initial treatment to be stabilised.
“The Maltese and nurses are already making huge sacrifices due to the shortfalls that occurred when planning the hospital,” the MUMN said, adding that, in the two years since Mater Dei has been operating, three corridor areas that should never have accepted patients have been opened against any principles of aseptic techniques, infection control and nursing practices.
The Health Ministry thanked doctors, nurses and other health professionals, who have united in solidarity over the last weeks, saying the country was proud of their dedication. Since the uprising, Malta had been at the forefront to assist the Libyans and offer humanitarian and medical aid, it said.