From Prof. J.A. Muscat

The Director of Information did well to encourage publicity regarding the prevalent MRSA rates in Malta (TMIS, 18 February). The impression given by the Health Minister in Parliament recently, when he gave figures for the incidence of MRSA, was that the problem was of no great concern. He seemed to shrug it off.

Now that Marisa Micallef has again raised the matter, the Director of Information challenges what she states on what he considers “sound medical evidence and advice”.

I think European League Tables are best left to the European Champions League. What is of more import is that the incidence of 250 cases of MRSA occurring at St Luke’s Hospital over a period of six months should give our Health Authorities some cause for concern. As a potential patient I am quite worried.

Certainly the figures are not comparable; but what is more to the point is that they are not adequate. In fact, the picture of hospital-acquired infections is far from clear or complete. We have been late in gathering and collating figures and the figures we have should have included all hospitals – public and private, primary, secondary and tertiary, specialised and district – for staphylococcus and clostridium.

Certainly, too, there is no conspiracy to hide on the part of the Health Authorities, but the nagging feeling remains that there is a tendency to play down.

Prof. J.A. Muscat

TA’ XBIEX