Diversions to access Mater Dei parking begin, with visitors urged to plan ahead
New temporary route comes into effect as works begin on Medical Imaging Department
Mater Dei patients and visitors will need to plan ahead and allow extra time for parking, as a new temporary route to access the hospital car park has come into effect.
The diversion is in place due to the start of works for a new Medical Imaging Department at the state hospital, the Foundation for Medical Services said in a statement announcing the changes.
While the diversion is in place, motorists who enter the hospital grounds will need to turn left at the roundabout, towards the hospital’s emergency department, and then follow signage that will eventually lead them to the hospital car park. Security personnel will also be present to guide motorists accordingly.
The FMS said that patients and visitors should allow for additional time to access the car park as “minor delays may occur due to the temporary diversions.”
The new imaging department will be spread across two floors and improve the quality and efficiency of Mater Dei’s scanning and imaging procedures.
Its construction is part of a broader project to expand Mater Dei. Those expansions include a recently inaugurated helipad – which dates back to 2007 but was used as a car park for more than a decade – and the development of a new car par dedicated to hospital staff members.
Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has also said the hospital will be significantly expanding its emergency department, with a further, longer-term plan to shift outpatient services away from the hospital.
The FMS has set up a WhatsApp Channel “MDH Projects by FMS” to keep patients and visitors informed of changes to hospital infrastructure. It will post real-time updates, notices, and progress milestones there, it said in a statement.