Hospital sources have described the situation at Mater Dei as "unprecedented", with most of the wards operating at full capacity.

A spokeswoman for the Health Ministry said activity at the main state hospital had been higher than usual in recent weeks.

More than 11,500 patients visited Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency department in the past four weeks, the Times of Malta was told.

The increased activity is not necessarily related to the heat

The spokeswoman said that 5,677 were registered at the accident and emergency department between July 12 and July 25. The figure rose to 5,832 patients in the period of July 26 to August 8, bringing the total in just over a month to 11,509 patients.

Though acknowledging that the hospital had noted an increase in recent weeks, the spokeswoman did not say what could have been the cause.

Asked if it may have been related to the hot weather that washed over the island recently, she would only say that the higher activity “is not necessarily related to the heat”. In recent weeks, the health authorities issued a number of warnings on the dangers of hot weather, urging people to stay hydrated and avoid prolonged sun exposure as temperatures soared to highs of 37˚C.

According to 2015 data, 11,554 patients were registered at the emergency department in July and 12,064 in August.

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