The Medical Directorate at Mater Dei Hospital has rejected allegations that elective cardiac procedures were suspended over the festive season to accommodate medical staff leave, insisting that interventional cardiology services operated continuously and, in fact, recorded an increase in elective interventions compared to the same period last year.
In a statement, the Medical Directorate at MDH expressed serious concern over what it described as “false and unfounded allegations” reported by some media outlets, criticising the publication of such claims without first seeking verification from the hospital.
The Directorate said it was “not true” that elective cardiac procedures were suspended, adding that available data showed the opposite to be the case.
According to departmental performance figures, during the period between 22 December 2025 and 1 January 2026, a total of 58 emergency and urgent cases were carried out in the cardiac catheterisation suites, alongside 29 elective interventions.
The Medical Directorate said that this represented a near-doubling of elective procedures when compared to the same period in 2024.
It said that throughout the festive season, cardiac services continued to operate without interruption, maintaining the same standards of care and accessibility offered throughout the year.
The Directorate added that all patients presenting with time-sensitive or acute cardiac conditions received timely intervention, without delay or compromise.
The statement also noted that on certain days, particularly Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, some patients opted to postpone non-urgent procedures for personal or family reasons.
In such cases, specialists informed patients of the risks associated with deferring treatment, while also respecting individual patient preferences, it said.
The Directorate commended the dedication and professionalism of staff running the hospital’s interventional cardiology services, while deploring allegations that it said were intended to harm and tarnish that professionalism.
The statement followed allegations made by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) that the union had been taken to court on New Year’s Eve for safeguarding the vacation leave rights of nurses working in the Cath Suite.
The MUMN alleged that while elective Cath Suite lists were suspended over the festive period, doctors were allowed to take leave, while nurses were restricted from doing so, arguing that patient safety concerns were applied selectively.
In response, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela had rejected MUMN’s claims, saying that the legal action was solely aimed at safeguarding patient safety, and not at targeting nurses.