The government is ignoring the problems that exist at Mater Dei Hospital, with elderly people being the worst hit in the process, the Nationalist Party said.

In a statement signed by MPs Paula Mifsud Bonnici and Stephen Spiteri on Saturday, the PN said that it has been insisting for months that the government needs to take action to resolve the shortage of nurses.

This problem is leading to elderly persons being sent home instead of a rehabilitation hospital, even when they would require specialised treatment and have no one to take care of them.

The statement also referred to the case of an 84-year-old man who was forced out of hospital, only to die at home during the night. The government has not denied the story, the party said.

The government is being insensitive to the requests for action made by the opposition, the unions and families of the patients concerned, the PN said.