The Medical Association of Malta said that contrary to what the government has said, no new ward has been opened at Mater Dei Hospital.

The union was reacting to reports that the Minister of Health and Active Aging, Jo Etienne Abela, inaugurated a new ward at Mater Dei Hospital which the government said will accommodate up to 40 patients.

In a statement Friday, MAM said Ward M10 was one of the make shift temporary wards first opened in 2020 during preparations to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. It was supposed to be a temporary measure as the place was previously the staff canteen, MAM said.

A refurbished/upgrade was carried out a few months for a period of three months and now the ward has been re-opened. However it does not offer the same level of privacy and toilet facilities as the original Mater Dei wards, MAM said.

MAM condemned misleading statements made to the press.

As from 2020 all hospital work professionals remain without a canteen, MAM said.

Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg has also lambasted the government for its deceit.