Mater Dei Hospital has appealed to the public to respect appointments given by the Outpatients Department.

It said in a statement that many patients failed to turn up for their appointment without informing the clinic or the hospital. This caused unnecessary delays to other patients who might be suffering from serious conditions.

When the clinic concerned was not informed that a patient would not be attending, other patients could not be given a sooner appointment and consultants would be unable to offer their services to people who might have been placed on the waiting list, the hospital said.