Mater Dei Hospital has insisted it caters for all dietary requirements after a vegan patient was offered meat-based meals for two days.

Brandon Galea was admitted to hospital on Monday with a lung infection but says that his requests for vegan food were met with smirks and claims that the caterer didn't provide for a plant-based diet.

"On Monday I was offered chicken pie with mashed potato and vegetables and on Tuesday I was offered some kind of meat in sauce, also served with potato and vegetables," he told Times of Malta.

Finally, on his third day in hospital, he was provided with rice, frozen vegetables and tomato sauce, "which I only ate because I was really hungry, as it was foul".

Brandon Galea. Photo: Facebook

Galea shared his experience with Facebook Group 'Vegan Malta Eats', and received a huge response from others who claimed they also had difficulty getting their dietary needs met at hospital. 

However, Mater Dei Hospital CEO Celia Falzon insisted Galea's experience was not a common occurrence.  

“We do cater for all dietary needs. If a patient is admitted to hospital and cannot eat certain foods because of medical, personal or religious reasons, we will provide them with their needs,” she told Times of Malta.

“It must have been a misunderstanding. Whilst there are staff who are aware of the dietary options made available, the hospital hires a lot of people, and some might not have been made aware of these options.”

She explained that Galea’s dietary requirements had been attended to since.

“There are a number of options available, we have soups and pizzas which cater for vegetarians and vegans. People need to understand that the hospital provides for these dietary needs but we are not a restaurant at the end of the day.”

Brandon Galea's Facebook post

She said the hospital caters for people who cannot eat certain foods due to medical reasons, those who have allergies or refuse types of food for religious reasons.

“When a patient is admitted to hospital, they are provided a menu and all the information is there for them,” explained Falzon.

Galea said he felt it was a disgrace that staff working in a government hospital did not understand veganism. 

“I don’t blame the workers, but I blame the healthcare system and our educational system," he said.

Some of the many people reacting to Galea's Facebook post spoke of having to repeatedly explain conditions such as lactose, dairy and gluten intolerance to hospital staff.

"I had a friend who was vegetarian and even coeliac at Mater Dei recovering from surgery. During the five days he was there they only managed to get one meal correct. I ended up taking food with me when visiting to make sure he ate something during his stay,” one person shared. 

Many also praised the healthcare professionals for their ‘sterling work’ during these challenging times.