'Disabled' hospital lifts

I refer to the letter by Tonio Mercieca (July 12).

The two lifts at the Outpatients Department are over 20 years old and, due to their age and heavy usage, are now prone to more frequent breakdowns.

One of the two lifts in the Outpatients Department was out of order from Friday, July 2, to Tuesday, July 6. The lift required a major part which had to be procured. Unfortunately, with increasing use, the remaining lift near the main staircase also started breaking down more frequently.

All efforts were made to urgently replace the required part which was fitted in the afternoon of Tuesday, July 6. Meanwhile, maintenance engineers were successful in identifying the intermittent fault that was causing the second lift to break down, so that from Wednesday, July 7, both Outpatients Department lifts have been fully functional.

It is worth noting that a call for tenders for the purchase of a new lift at the Outpatients Department should soon be issued and this will, eventually, significantly improve the situation.

The hospital management apologises for any inconvenience caused to both patients and staff in these circumstances.