There is only so much Malta can do.

This was the message that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi put across during a business breakfast on the Libyan crisis last Wednesday.

Malta is ready to help, but it has its own limitations.

His assertion came two days after a flight from Libya carrying people who were seriously injured in the Libyan conflict was cancelled because Malta was not in a position to offer intensive care services.

“Our ITU is full so we cannot take any more patients needing ITU treatment but we can take patients who may be treated in other wards or private hospitals,” Dr Gonzi said.

It also came in the wake of complaints by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses that staff at Mater Dei Hospital could not cope with the extra workload. As this newspaper said editorially last week, the MUMN was correct to point out the shortcomings; what was wrong was the kind of language that was used.

Malta has been at the forefront to offer humanitarian aid ever since the Libyan crisis erupted in February. It served as a safe harbour for thousands of people who were evacuated in the weeks following the start of the conflict, and later sent shiploads of aid to Libyan people who ended up without food, water and medicines.

More recently, it accepted to treat people who were injured, and 14 casualties were brought over last week. One of them died of the wounds while several others are still critical.

The workload at the ITU increased substantially, raising questions whether the hospital can cope with a heavy intake of casualties at one go, irrespective of whether they were coming from Libya or, God forbid, if some natural disaster had to hit Malta. It is sincerely hoped that this present situation has served as an example for Malta to prepare itself better for any potential catastrophe.

Still, in spite of all the difficulties Malta is encountering, once again our generous heart is looking for other ways on how the country can help out. The idea of re-opening sections of the unused St Luke’s and St Philip’s hospitals, as well as the plan put forward by the Red Cross Society for a field hospital, are possibilities that should be seriously looked into.

What must be kept in mind is that while the physical structures and medical equipment are important, Malta would still need to have human resources to take care of the patients coming over from Libya. It is in this respect that Malta should seek assistance from other European Union countries.