During a visit to Mater Dei Hospital, the Minister for Health and Active Ageing, Jo Etienne Abela, met with the hospital’s surgical staff, including radiologists, cardiologists, surgeons from various specialties, anesthetists, nurses, and radiographers.
Accompanied by the hospital’s administrative staff, the minister Jo Etienne Abela expressed the government’s appreciation for their hard work and dedication, which led to 62,635 procedures being carried out at the hospital in 2024. The minister highlighted that this represented a 6% increase (3,812 more procedures) compared to the previous year.
During the meeting, several professionals shared their input, discussing plans and suggestions for improving operational efficiency.
Minister Jo Etienne Abela encouraged greater dialogue between specialists and Primary Care colleagues to ensure that more medical conditions are treated within the community whenever possible. He also assured that the digitalization of services will be crucial in reaching this goal.
The minister and administrative staff welcomed various suggestions for improving operations. These included hiring more specialists beyond retirement age, upgrading surgical equipment, expanding robotic surgery capabilities, and implementing a more comprehensive appointment system for the Outpatients Department.
During questioning the expansion of Mater Dei Hospital’s infrastructure came up, and the minister outlined various projects, including the expansion of the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Radiology Department, Cardiology Department, Obstetrics Unit, and the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (NPICU). He also mentioned the addition of new wards, operating theaters, and hospital beds, as well as increased collaboration with the private sector to ensure patients receive timely medical care.
“On behalf of the patients and the government, I thank the professionals for their efforts in achieving these record-breaking results. The ministry remains committed to providing all necessary support to reach even more ambitious goals,” concluded Minister Abela.
#MaltaDaily
