Over 5,000 people are on the waiting list for MRI and CT scans, with the wait so long that non-urgent cases are being given appointments as far away as January 2016, The Sunday Times of Malta has learnt.
According to statistics seen by this newspaper, there are 3,805 pending MRI scans and almost 1,300 CT scans.
In an attempt to address the lengthy waiting time, the Health Ministry last month introduced “twilight” MRI scans in the early hours of the morning and encouraged Maltese to travel to Gozo for a CT scan as there is almost no waiting time there.
A ministry spokesman said twilight scans were one of various government initiatives taken to reduce waiting times.
Although urgent scans are carried out immediately as they skip the queue, patients who are not deemed urgent face months of living in the dark.
He explained that no MRIs were transferred to private hospitals last year as the funds allocated had all been used up.
“In 2013, the Health Ministry did not use the Public Private Partnership (PPP) avenue and stopped all previous arrangements on their date of expiry as the €2.5 million budget for waiting list initiatives had been taken up by scans done privately in 2012 and first quarter of 2013,” the spokesman said.
He confirmed patients were being given appointments for January 2016 for non-urgent and routine MRI scans.
The situation is expected to improve this year once the initiatives being taken start showing some results.
A total of 139,500 scans were carried out last year at Mater Dei Hospital, 400 more than in 2012. Twilight medical imaging sessions cut the waiting list by 800 people and this initiative was re-introduced last month.
A second MRI machine paid for through European funds is expected to arrive later this year and will be used specifically for cancer patients.
Sources said the government was forced to send patients for a private MRI scan at a cost of €200 per time when the machine at Mater Dei Hospital was out of order.
Under the PPP issued in September 2012, each MRI cost the taxpayer €300.
“The issue of MRI procedures in twilight hours at Mater Dei Hospital is maximising our resources and the cost per procedure is only €90.
“The cost savings are evident – €210 from the 2012 price and €110 from the 2013 price. During the first twilight session, 882 procedures were carried out,” the ministry spokesman said.
He added that all PET scans are now being carried out at Mater Dei Hospital and there is no waiting time.
Previously, PET scans were done privately and the hospital’s PET scanner was never used.