‘Fake news’, MAM claims, saying no new ward has opened at Mater Dei Hospital
The Medical Association of Malta said that contrary to what the Government has said, no new ward has been opened at Mater Dei Hospital.
The union was reacting to an announcement that the Minister of Health and Active Aging, Jo Etienne Abela, had inaugurated a new ward at Mater Dei Hospital, which the Government said will accommodate up to 40 patients.
In a statement on Friday, MAM said that Ward M10 was one of the makeshift temporary wards first opened in 2020 during preparations to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. It was supposed to be a temporary measure as the place was previously the staff canteen, MAM said.
A refurbished/upgrade was carried out a few months for a period of three months, and now the ward has been re-opened. However it does not offer the same level of privacy and toilet facilities as the original Mater Dei wards, MAM said.
MAM condemned misleading statements made to the press.
As from 2020 all hospital work professionals remain without a canteen, MAM said.
Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg has also lambasted the Government for its “deceit”.
The Government said on Thursday that the ward cost €1.4 million to refurbish, with an additional cost of around €140,000 for medical equipment.
It was explained that the construction of this new ward required extensive work, since the area previously was not clinical. Among the renovations carried out was the installation of new walls, a treatment room, and new toilets and showers for patients. Changes were also made to the electrical and mechanical systems, such as ventilation, air conditioning, water and lighting.
"This was done to support the new function of the area as a ward providing patient care. Additional systems were also installed, including nurse call systems, pneumatic tube systems, and medical gases", the Government statement read.