Last week Mater Dei hospital practically all Emergency admissions spilled over into corridors and even into the operating theatre recovery wards, the Medical Association of Malta said. While the hospital management did their very best to manage the situation, doctors, nurses and all others were hard pressed to cope with the increased workload and the difficult conditions.

While this problem occurs frequently in the winter months this was a new a new phenomenon in the middle of summer, MAM said.

In a statement issued Friday, the Nationalist Partu also said that the problems usually associated in winter are now being felt in summer as well.

In its statement, MAM said the hospital administration attributed this increase in admissions to the increased number of planned operations. There were also a significant number of frail elderly patients who developed medical problems because of the extreme heat.

However, the major factor is the large number of patients who are accommodated at Mater Dei Hospital while awaiting transfer to homes for the elderly and rehabilitation. At the moment there are 140 patients at Mater Dei hospital who do not need acute care but they have to be kept there because they have no place to go to. While in the past this rarely went over 60, over the last year this has crept up to 140 to take up 60% of beds available for acute Medical care, mainly because of lack of planning and investment in the geriatric sector.

Fortunately, people in Malta are living longer and this means that hospitals and homes for the elderly are all full and they cannot cope with the demand. This problem needs a long term solution and measures must be taken to improve services for the elderly in their community and to support them to stay at home or in sheltered accommodation as long as possible.

MAM appeals to the health authorities to give priority to the elderly sector, and focus on the immediate needs of patients by investing and developing the care of the elderly to meet the demands of the population.