The Intensive Therapy Unit at Mater Dei Hospital started being used yesterday when the first two patients were admitted early in the afternoon.

Both patients had been recovered at the hospital and needed intensive care after one suffered a heart attack and the other heart failure.

Earlier on, the first pacemaker was implanted in a patient by cardiologist Oscar Aquilina, who said the procedure involves putting a small battery under the chest's skin, which is connected to the heart and keeps it from beating too slowly.

This was one of 25 medical procedures and operations carried out at the new hospital yesterday.

Dr Aquilina said that although the majority of patients are elderly, pacemakers have been implanted even in young children and babies.

He was very happy working in the new hospital, he said, adding it was important to start slowly to ensure any teething problems are ironed out.

"We need to get used to the place, where things are kept and the new layout," he told The Times.

Yesterday also saw the first electronic transfer of a report from the medical imaging department to a ward - a system that is expected to save professionals a lot of time.

Medical imaging chairman Anthony Samuel explained that the new IT at Mater Dei not only allows radiologists to interpret reports from their office but they can transmit their reports directly to other parts of the hospital, including the ward where the patient is.

Meanwhile, the migration of patients continued with 48 patients transferred from St Luke's to Mater Dei. The patients were recovered in four wards. Three were discharged from the new hospital.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Health Minister Louis Deguara yesterday paid an informal visit to the hospital to meet the staff.

At the same time, the management of Zammit Clapp Hospital continued taking over rehabilitation and social cases which are not being transferred to the new hospital.

A total of 84 cases were handed over between Monday and yesterday.