Contrary to what has been stated by the Health Minister, Mater Dei Hospital is in severe crisis, with Covid patients being spread in all wards, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said Monday.

MUMN received more than 20 calls from MDH from nursing staff in these last few hours due to the shortage of nurses and the "huge influx of Covid cases" in MDH.

MDH has more than 150 Covid patients spread in all wards posing a high risk of cross infection among the whole hospital, MUMN said.

The nursing shortage is compounded by the huge amount of nurses sent on quarantine resulting that several wards are left with just two or three nurses instead of six nurses, the union said.

Three wards in MDH had to be dedicated fully for Covid patients. Nurses are refusing to work overtime even when repeatedly requested by hospital management, the union said, saying that some are suffering from burnout.

"The situation is desperate" and the Minister for Health is refusing to reduce the elective surgery as to compensate for the huge influx of Covid cases and the high shortage of nurses on the wards. The huge number of Covid cases in all wards has reached to an extent where every ward in MDH is having Covid cases, the union said.

"Politics should not be the agenda of any Health Minister and if the Minister for Health refuses to reduce elective surgery, the risks of transmission of Covid increases both to the staff and to the patients. MDH has six designated areas which are not meant to be wards but are being used as wards. Such areas including MDH corridors, the MDH library and the staff canteen. All areas make it harder for the nurses to work with patients since these are not set up as a ward should be," the union added.

Seeing the desperate situation in MDH, MUMN is urging the Minister for Health to reduce elective surgery and to start acting responsibly since MDH cannot keep functioning with such a high influx of Covid cases.

Health Minister Chris Fearne said this morning that the situation is under control, and that restrictions will continue to be eased in the coming days.