Overcrowding at Mater Dei Hospital is reaching unprecedented levels with the hospital turning to makeshift wards to tackle the influx of patients, with beds lining the corridors.

Sources on the ground who spoke to this newsroom said that the hospital is not equipped to take the flow of patients it is receiving while basic wards do not have the necessary amenities.

This, the sources said, was leading to patients not having storage space to place their personal belongings, besides the fact that the infrastructure is not one which is equipped to deal with certain cases.

“Each purposely built ward hosts apparatus such as oxygen tasks, but makeshift wards do not,” the sources added.

There is also the issue of lack of privacy. There are no curtains or dividers available. “This in itself is degrading,” the sources added.

They added that the overcrowding situation has been gradually escalating for quite some time but now the situation has now spiralled out of control.

In July, The Malta Independent had reported that the number of patients seeking medical attention at Mater Dei Hospital’s casualty department hit a new high as the peak of summer hit in.

Sources had told this newsroom that there were no beds available so much so that beds in corridors were also scarce.

“Patients are burdened with having to wait for eight to 12 hours after being seen to by a doctor to be given a bed at the hospital.”

Respiratory conditions are key factors in the ongoing surge, sources told this newsroom last month.

Libyan nationals at hospital under armed police guard

Sources also informed this newsroom that each ward hosting Libyan nationals is guarded by armed policemen wearing bullet proof vests.

Meanwhile, the beds of Libyan nationals admitted to Mater Dei as a result of the war in Libya are being tagged with letters and numbers displayed on a sheet of paper so as not to reveal their names. The directive to replace names and surnames of Libyan nationals with numbers and letters was issued soon after the first batch of Libyan nationals were brought over to Malta for treatment.

It is understood that a total 60 Libyan nationals came for treatment to Malta until now.

Handful of Libyan nationals transferred to private hospital

A small number of Libyan nationals have been taken to a private hospital for treatment. Some have been taken directly from the airport while others are being transferred after recovering from their injuries at Mater Dei. Others have been discharged.