The Casualty Department at St Luke's Hospital closed its doors yesterday morning after almost 60 years in operation as the one in Mater Dei started functioning.

The first patient walked into the new hospital's Admission and Emergency Department at 6.25 a.m. and 20 minutes later the first ambulance arrived with a casualty.

Deputy nursing officer Carmel Spiteri said that yesterday was a very busy day, as is usual for a Sunday, with a lot of people seeking treatment at the A&E department. Three people needed resuscitation and most of the equipment was used on the first day.

Despite the demands placed on the department, personnel managed to close down the unit at St Luke's by 11 a.m., after all patients had been treated or stabilised.

A spokesman for the new hospital said the changeover was seamless, even though St Luke's was relatively busy during the night.

However, it seemed that the public had heeded appeals not to go to casualty needlessly, and all the patients that reported to both hospitals were genuine emergencies. The spokesman appealed for this to carry on.

If people want the service to be good, they should use it properly, added Nurse Spiteri.

Yesterday also saw the continuing transfer of inpatients from one hospital to the other, with 63 patients, including two who were in the Intensive Therapy Unit, transferred to the new hospital, which is now treating just over 300 inpatients.

The migration from one hospital to another will continue today and Archbishop Paul Cremona is expected to bless Mater Dei Hospital this afternoon.