Testing two or three samples from the public hospital’s concrete structure to determine its overall strength might not be enough and further analysis would be required to have a more reliable result, according to an expert.

Alex Torpiano, dean of the Faculty of Built Environment at the University of Malta, was asked to comment in the wake of a report carried by The Sunday Times of Malta on possible structural weaknesses at Mater Dei’s emergency department.

Two core stress tests carried out on the concrete structure indicated that its quality was significantly below standard and extremely weak in certain areas.

In this kind of test, a sample is sent to a laboratory where it is subjected to huge loads until breaking point to establish its ultimate strength.

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