Ceilings in parts of Mount Carmel Hospital, in Attard, were found to be “unacceptable and dangerous”, Health Minister Chris Fearne has said.
Mr Fearne told Times of Malta that ceilings in parts of the hospital were found to have up to 20 layers of membrane coated above them, as a rudimentary way of preventing water leaks.
“We did not think this was acceptable and further studies by architects found that some of the ceilings were also dangerous,” he said.
Patients will be relocated to other facilities in the coming days as the wards are refurbished.
Care Malta landed a €3 million direct order to receive the patients, MaltaToday reported last Sunday. Care Malta, it added, would receive about 120 elderly patients.
Asked why no tender was issued, Mr Fearne said his ministry was abiding by the government’s procurement guidelines.
WATCH: Mount Carmel safer than it's been in 30 years, says Fearne
We started to target these shortcomings
“When we saw the opportunity for an institution that had vacancies, we went for it,” Mr Fearne said.
Speaking in Parliament last month, Nationalist MP Mario Galea, a former nurse, said the move from the geriatric wards of Mount Carmel Hospital could be detrimental to patients’ health.
“Forcing an elderly person to move could cause delirium or mental confusion and is also a threat to the person’s health,” he had said, adding what he was saying was backed by studies.
Mr Fearne, however, said patient safety came first.
READ: Architects warn about Mount Carmel safety
“The hospital administration worked with doctors and clinicians to see that each patient not needing to be in a ward could be moved to a new facility,” he said.
The minister was speaking on the fringes of a press conference announcing plans to address shortcomings at Mount Carmel.
The National Audit Office said in a report Mount Carmel was under-funded, poorly staffed and had inadequate security.
“We have started to target these shortcomings already,” Mr Fearne said.
The government had embarked on a five year plan to refurbish the hospital.On security concerns, Mr Fearne said staff was being trained and security guards were assigned different and new tasks to address the situation. A feasibility assessment was being carried out to see whether electronic access control could be used.