A fleet of 18 new patient transport vehicles will be used at St Luke’s, Karin Grech, and Gozo general hospitals, according to the private operator of the three State facilities. 

In a statement, Steward Health Care Malta said it had invested in the new hospital fleet that would be replacing much older vehicles, some of which dated back to the early 1990s.

The newly-purchased vehicles include 14 large vans, three smaller easy access vehicles, and a rapid response vehicle.

The transport departments at Steward hospitals carry over 100 patients a day, mostly elderly patients who require an additional level of comfort and support.

These patients often lack the mobility to attend appointments on their own, and risk being marginalised unless given additional help in moving around, the company said.

Patients are brought from their homes to the hospital for outpatient appointments and they are taken to Mater Dei Hospital or other appointments outside the hospital.

A rapid response vehicle in Gozo will be used by members of the emergency medicine team to provide first aid to anyone injured around the island  including areas which are not easily accessed by a normal ambulance - and allows treatment of smaller incidents at the scene.