Patients who have to go to Mater Dei and St Luke’s hospitals as well as those who need to attend polyclinics go through martyrdom when they get on the vehicles taking take them there.

Transport vehicles start picking up patients at 7am and spend two- and-a-half to three hours driving around the island. There are not enough seats to accommodate the number of patients and relatives allowed on board and, many times, the porter and some relatives have to make a good part of the trip standing up, swaying from one side to the other.

The legroom is so restricted only a five-year-old child can sit comfortably.

Because the journey is taking so long, some patients are losing their appointments and then have to explain why they are so late. They also miss the transport back and will have to wait for hours before they are taken back home.

Many of these people are wheelchair bound and, therefore, the burden is bigger. It is only thanks to the generosity and humour of some drivers and porters that certain patients do not end up in tears. I can only thank them.

Patients unable to keep their appointment should inform the driver early in the morning to save time.

I hope the minister responsible for health will take a trip in one of the vehicles used, starting at 7am, to see what I am talking about and then see what can be done to stop this unnecessary pain patients and relatives are going through.