Acting Mater Dei CEO Joseph Zarb Adami shot back at PN MP Claudette Buttigieg's statement made earlier this week, that only 16% of admissions were for elective surgery. 

Dr Zarb Adami said that Day surgeries also fall under elective surgeries, adding that a rise of 5,000 such surgeries can be seen since 2012.

"Unfortunately when you have a spokesperson who is not a doctor, or does not understand the subject, she concluded that 16% of patients in hospital were awaiting elective surgery. She did not realise that day surgeries, meaning thousands of cases (15,000 in six months) are elective surgeries. It's as if they didn't happen". According to the report, the number of patients awaiting day surgeries stood at around 32% of patients.

(Video provided during the press briefing as he was unable to be present)

He mentioned that a number of specialists and consultants have been appointed in areas where waiting lists were long to try and solve the problem.

Dr Zarb Adami mentioned that nowadays, the hospital also has facilities for ultrasounds, CT scans and MRIs available at all times. 

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne, speaking during a press briefing, said that the hospital activity report the PN MP referred to was not a secret, however is an internal document. He said that Claudette Buttigieg misinterpreted the data.

The report is used by management to gauge the current situation in hospital, and is a standard process, Mr Fearne said.

The Parliamentary Secretary also stressed that a 7% increase in Emergency operations can be seen during January to June this year, over the same period in 2012.

During the PN press conference, the PN MP highlighted that there were 451 patients awaiting to be discharged. On this subject, Mr Fearne said that this was not true, and that there were 13 patients awaiting rehabilitation, and 68 waiting to enter elderly care facilities. He said he did not know where she got the 451 figure from.

Mr Fearne explained that most patients are discharged following reception of necessary care, while others await transfer to facilities, and some may be fatal cases.

Turning to patients waiting in corridors, Mr Fearne said that yesterday, there were 15 patients "this is still unacceptable". He said that between August 22 and August 25, no patients were waiting in corridors.

The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned the 7% increase in patients at the Emergency Department, stating that this was due to a reduction in waiting time. 92% of patients entering the emergency ward are seen and treated in under 4 hours, he said, pointing to the report.

Lastly, he criticised the PN MP's statement that there have never been people waiting in corridors during Summer until now. He said that between June and September in 2011, around 2,500 patients were waiting in corridors and that the number decreased over the years. He said that this isn't enough and will continue to work to reduce the number.

Government hid the document - PN

 In response, the PN issued a statement claiming that a panic in the Mater Dei corridors in clear.

 They said that they quoted from an internal Mater Dei report 48 hours ago, “that government decided to hide for their own reasons. The report is clear, that government failed in its handling of Mater Dei and that Joseph Muscat did not have a roadmap”.

The PN argued that the Acting Mater Dei CEO, in comments with the media, said that Mater Dei finds itself in the worst trouble this summer it has ever seen.

 The PN said that government failed in the elderly sector, as 451 elderly persons were kept waiting under this government. They also argued that half of outpatients appointments are missed.