The current waiting list for medical services in the public health system makes for grim reading.
Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela confirmed that 15,750 people are currently waiting for an MRI, nearly double the number on the waiting list six months ago.
This is not the only worrying waiting list for medical services. Abela also said that 1,627 people were waiting to be admitted to a care home for older people run by the state or the private sector.
Every new month brings more evidence of record demand across many areas of our public health system care.
The frustration of medical and paramedical staff and, of course, patients is understandable. The public health system is bursting at the seams, and the hospital authorities must do more to address the waiting lists for medical services.
MRI, for instance, is a valuable tool to diagnose medical conditions that may need treatment. Those waiting for diagnostics or a decision to treat cannot receive definitive treatment.
Abela said that a process has been started to install an MRI machine in St Vincent de Paule Residence so that elderly residents would not need to travel to Mater Dei for a scan. Another is being procured for Gozo General Hospital. These are steps in the right direction.
Still, the pressure on our hospitals is affecting other areas. Many patients are waiting in pain for hip and knee replacements and for heart, brain, and other operations.
Many others have to wait for a long time for cataract surgery. Without surgery, those on the waiting list would be left unable to work or carry out everyday activities, and their quality of life greatly diminished.
Much of the public debate on hospital waiting lists centres on treating those waiting a long time, the availability of hospital beds, or the need to build new medical facilities.
Of course, these are important areas. Local health centres, for instance, must treat more accidents and emergency cases to ease pressure on Mater Dei. But other issues need to be addressed.
Given the numbers waiting for outpatient services, it is important not to concentrate on hospital admissions at the expense of outpatient treatment.
The hospital authorities must ask whether too much focus is on treating patients rather than diagnosing them. Without knowing what is wrong with a patient or deciding on what they need, it is impossible to treat them. Access to diagnostics, therefore, needs improving.
The need for prompt diagnosis and treatment for children is also an urgent priority.
The damaging impact of long waiting times on children and their families is worrying. Many treatments and interventions must be administered within specific age and development stages.
While no one wants to wait for treatment, children’s care is frequently ‘time critical’. Prolonged waits not only impair children’s mental and physical development but also have a detrimental impact on their education and overall well-being.
The pressures on the public health system have increased due to an ageing and growing population. The present facilities were never envisaged to cater to the rapid population increase over the past decade.
The long-term solution to this challenge is a more targeted and productive investment in the public health system.
Investment in the public health and care system will take time to ease the pressures on the system. Short-term administrative tactics are, therefore, needed to address the acute pressures on our hospitals.