Details on the number of healthcare workers available to treat patients at Mater Dei Hospital are currently “unavailable”, with the health authorities blaming fluctuating numbers because of the cancellation of non-urgent procedures.
Times of Malta asked the Superintendent of Public Health, Charmaine Gauci for the so-called staff-to-patient ratio during Friday’s weekly health briefing but she directed questions to the hospital.
A series of questions on the hospital ratios sent to the Mater Dei CEO and the government remained unanswered.
Instead, a government spokesperson said the ratio could not be provided because it still needed to be worked out as the cancellation of the non-urgent surgeries meant figures were changing regularly.
No reply was received even after Times of Malta pointed out that such information was crucial to the successful running of a hospital.
Cancellation of non-urgent surgeries leads to fluctuating numbers
The ratios are used in the medical field to ensure all patients have the right care and that there is enough staff to treat those hospitalised.
The numbers often change depending on the type of care being provided.
Patients in the hospital’s intensive care units, for instance, tend to be given more round-the-clock treatment than in other wards and, thus, more staff is required per patient.
The ratio is also crucial as it helps establish if a hospital is in the process of being overwhelmed by an influx of patients.
In recent weeks, as the number of COVID patients reached record highs, the pressure on the country’s hospitals continued to increase. As of Friday, 245 patients were being treated in hospital, with at least 34 getting intensive care.
Malta is currently on quasi-lockdown after the government announced the closure of restaurants, schools and non-essential shops on Wednesday, the same day the daily number of new infections shot up to a record-smashing 510 cases.
Healthcare workers have since expressed concern that the growing number could soon result in the hospital buckling under the pressure.
They also warned that increasing the number of available beds was futile if there are not enough healthcare professionals to care for and look after the patients.
Healthcare workers have also warned that if there were to be a major accident that would bring an influx of non-COVID patients to the hospital, “people would die” because of a lack of space and manpower.