Updated 3.30 pm with MUMN, Health Ministry reactions

The government wasted €10.6 million in planning a new outpatients block and acute psychiatric facility at Mater Dei Hospital before scrapping the idea, and it is now about to spend another €10m on planning an alternative, the MAM Medical Association of Malta said on Tuesday.

The acute psychiatric facility and outpatients block were projected by then Health Minister Chris Fearne. Three years went into their planning and the ideas were extensively discussed and supported by all stakeholders, the MAM said.

"Unfortunately, (current health minister) Jo-Etienne Abela has scrapped all these plans and without proper consultation, wants a completely different plan cramming five acute psychiatry wards on top of the Emergency Department while the outpatients block is being scrapped completely," the association said.

Official government budgetary projections for the outpatients block, which has now been scrapped. (MAM)

"The decision to modify plans will require a new expenditure of another €10 million on plans, a delay of at least two years to start actual construction and another two-to-three years for completion," it said.

It also pointed out that there is a February EU deadline for the completion of the new health hub in Paola and should that deadline be missed, the EU may seek recovery of €50m of its funds allocated for that project.

The association urged the health minister to prioritise patients, stick to the original plans and get on with construction.

"While MAM still trusts that Minister Abela has good intentions the current impression is that millions (of euro) are voted for health, but nothing gets done," it said. 

MUMN agrees with moving outpatients to St Luke's

Meanwhile, Paul Pace president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said that his union was never consulted, and never agreed, with the plans for the new outpatients building.

He said in a reaction to the MAM statement that the nurses’ union was in favour of shifting outpatients to St Luke’s Hospital as this would ease traffic congestion and parking problems at Mater Dei outpatients and free the building to be used as a mother-and-child space.

Some 900 patients visit outpatients daily he said.

“MAM is objecting to shifting to St Luke's as that will stop the consultants from leaving the hospital early,” he said.

MAM left out contextual details - Health Ministry 

In reply to the MAM’s statement, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the doctor’s union had been selective in their facts and left out important details that contextualise the government’s vision to proceed in the way that it did. 

In a statement, the ministry said that at the time that the plans were being drawn up the government was not in control of either St Luke’s or Karin Grech hospitals and plans are already in motion to regenerate these buildings and re-integrate them into the public healthcare system. 

“The MAM is aware of this and so it cannot on one hand criticise that nothing is being done with these buildings and on the other hinder work that is going to lead to these hospitals to start fulfilling important roles in our country’s healthcare system,” the ministry said. 

They added that by actioning these plans they would be avoiding eliminating the Mater Dei helipad. 

While the MAM has a leading role to advocate for its members' rights, this does not include becoming an arbiter of strategic management or infrastructural projects in the sector, they said.