Temporary mitigation works have been completed on columns of the Mater Dei Emergency Department found to have weak concrete, the Ministry of Health said this evening.

Some remaining minor works will be carried out in the coming days to ensure the safety of users, the ministry said.

The mitigation measures will remain in place until an inquiry board concludes its investigation into the way the structure was built and makes its recommendations.

It was revealed last week that the structure is too weak to take the weight of an additional to storeys which the ministry had planned to build to house new wards.

This morning, Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Chris Fearne said the ministry had identified a site on the hospital grounds which may be developed to create much needed bed space.

Mr Fearne said Mater Dei was too small for the people’s needs. Although at present there were no patients in the hospital’s corridors, there was no doubt that that would not be the case by year’s end.

A number of measures had already been taken to increase bed capacity, including the reorganisation of spaces within the hospital. Rooms in some wards previously used for other purposes had been converted to take patient beds.

Steps were being taken to also utilise other spaces for beds.

The government had also been planning to build two wards on top of the Casualty Department, but that was no longer possible (because the building cannot take the new weight).

A site had however been identified within the hospital grounds and it was being assessed with a view for development to add bed capacity. An application for a building permit would then be submitted to Mepa with the hope that the space would be available for patients next year, Mr Fearne said.

PN health spokesman Claudio Grech, who also took part in the discussion, stressed that the government needed to improve primary health care and come up with new services in order to reduce the pressure on bed capacity at Mater Dei Hospital.