Outsourcing emergency care: Alleviating pressure on Mater Dei Hospital

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that some challenges are so great that we all need to work together if we’re to overcome them. 

Throughout those turbulent and testing months, the private healthcare sector, predominantly St Thomas Hospital and our sister facility, Good Samaritan Hospital, played an essential role in supporting Malta’s national response to the viral outbreak.

When the government asked, we were ready to roll up our sleeves and step in.

Despite being only four years old at the time and still building our reputation within the healthcare community, we stepped in to provide vital recovery care for around one in every 10 hospitalised COVID patients – freeing up vital beds and Mater Dei Hospital staff for those patients in the most critical of need. 

We worked seamlessly with the national health service, establishing streamlined communication, while maintaining the very highest in standards of care. 

That experience proved that the public and private sector can work together for the good of patients.

As Malta experiences a resurgence in confirmed viral cases – more than 200 cases last month alone – the pressure is once again mounting on our State healthcare system. 

Both sides of the political divide recognise that the private sector can play a vital role here.  

Shortly after taking up office, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela reached out to the private sector. His message was clear: saving lives necessitates the mobilisation of all available healthcare resources, including private, for-profit ones, like St Thomas and Good Samaritan.

A few months later and the government has formally issued a Request for Proposals for private hospitals like ours to provide non-critical emergency triage with the aim of freeing up space at our State hospital for those most in need.

This is a positive and necessary step toward optimising healthcare delivery in Malta. By leveraging the strengths of both the public and private sectors, we can ensure a more efficient and effective healthcare system for all patients.

Plans have already been designed by the authorities to refer to each case as needed. This would distinguish between patients that need emergency care at Mater Dei’s Accident and Emergency Department and less serious cases that can be treated at facilities like ours. 

We should ask how private healthcare can continue to fill the gaps in our healthcare system

The current reality is that, every week, Mater Dei’s A&E Department is inundated with patients, including many who seek urgent care for non-critical issues.

This overwhelming demand not only stretches the hospital’s resources thin but also exacerbates waiting times, potentially compromising the delivery of essential care to those in genuine need of immediate medical attention.

The recent call by the ministry of health to outsource non-critical A&E services to the private sector offers an effective strategic solution to this challenge.

St Thomas Hospital, along with our sister facility, Good Samaritan Hospital, stands ready to provide these essential services, leveraging our extensive experience and resources.

Indeed, we are happy to submit our proposal for this project. Both St Thomas and Good Samaritan are well-equipped to provide all the services specified in the RFP, particularly in handling non-major A&E cases.

Our fully licensed acute care facilities operate 24/7, with a comprehensive range of diagnostic and treatment capabilities.

Additionally, we have extensive experience in managing patient overflow and providing recovery care, as demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our staff includes a resident consultant with 40 years of experience in emergency situations at St Luke’s, Mater Dei and St Thomas hospitals.

We also have the largest number of licensed hospital beds in the private sector in Malta and are the only private hospital in Malta with daily outsourcing of surgical operations from Mater Dei.

The question we should ask ourselves is how private healthcare can continue to fill the gaps in our healthcare system.

Together, we can ensure that Mater Dei can focus on the most critical cases providing high-quality care and reducing wait times for patients.

Together we can enhance our healthcare system’s resilience and our capacity to respond to future threats, no matter how great the challenges may be.

Kristen Buhagiar is clinical director at St Thomas Hospital. Louis Buhagiar is director and consultant physician at St Thomas Hospital.