When in February 2020, St Thomas Hospital hosted its first quarantine patient, Kristen Buhagiar found the task of assigning a health carer to the case quite daunting.

She felt as if she was throwing the carer into the unknown despite the patient testing negative for COVID-19.

Kristen Buhagiar

One exhilarating year on, the doctor who is tasked with the clinical management of the hospital has seen nearly 1,000 COVID patients and nowadays deals with the pandemic 24/7.

“Over the past 12 months we have seen several people recover from the virus, others go through bereavement after losing their spouse or friend, and unfortunately, some have also passed away,” Buhagiar told Times of Malta one year from when St Thomas received its first positive patient on March 12.

Buhagiar has seen, first-hand, how COVID-19 breeds fear and anxiety among patients and staff.

“As soon as people test positive and are admitted to hospital, they think... am I next? Is this the last time that I’m going to see my loved ones?

“Meanwhile, health professionals who try their best to care for the patients in a dignified and human manner also fear for their own and their relatives’ safety.”

The small, private hospital in Qormi and its ancillary facility for elderly COVID-19 patients, the Good Samaritan, host the milder virus cases detected in the community that require hospitalisation.

'Death is a big tragedy'

Over the past year, the staff at St Thomas has cared for 434 patients of various ages, including babies.

A total of 390 patients recovered and returned home. A further 39, who had taken a sudden turn for the worse, were transferred to Mater Dei Hospital for intensive care, while five died at the hospital.

The Good Samaritan has, meanwhile, hosted 515 patients, 56 of whom were transferred to Mater Dei.

At its peak – around Christmas time – the hospital cared for 84 patients who were transferred there from nursing homes. There are currently 37 inpatients at the facility. Seventeen patients passed away at the facility.

“Death is a big tragedy... it is heart-breaking to see relatives and friends lose a loved one and to make matters worse, because of the pandemic, they often would not be able to be next to them during their last moments,” Buhagiar said.

St Thomas Hospital reached its full capacity of 32 COVID-19 inpatients earlier this month when the number of nationwide cases spiked.

Anton Tran and Reebi Kunjachan.

However, long before that Buhagiar and her team understood the importance of easing anxiety and facilitating communication between patients and relatives.

In some cases, the hospital allowed relatives to visit the patients after signing a waiver taking on full responsibility for their health, while online facilities have also been ramped up so that they could keep in touch via video calls.

Dr Anton Tran and lead nurse Reebi Kunjachan have experienced this anxiety first-hand.

'Patients, healthcarers, need support'

“Apart from medical treatment, patients need a lot of social and emotional support. Sometimes a simple tap on the shoulder or holding their hand and reassuring them that they are doing fine makes all the difference,” Tran said.

“Even if they have very mild symptoms, they are psychologically impacted because they know that COVID-19 kills or can have long-term implications.”

He noted that health professionals need to also care for their own mental well-being.

“There were times when I held back tears while breaking the news to someone,” he said.

“At other times I cried with patients who lost their spouse or a close friend – at that instance COVID-19 had changed their lives forever and I was their only comfort.

“But after I comforted them, I went outdoors for some fresh air and refocused on caring for patients so that they could recover. This is what kept me going throughout.”

Kunjachan, for whom the past year has been “one long never-ending journey” noted that living and working so far away from one’s home country increases the anxiety brought about by COVID-19.

“Being unable to travel and meet in person has seen my relatives feeling increasingly helpless and anxious. My parents sometimes call me three times a day to make sure I’m ok.”

Buhagiar said that despite the unprecedented circumstances, the team managed to adapt overnight and was able to support the public health sector during this once-in-a-century pandemic.

She believes the strong cooperation between the public and private healthcare entities was a silver lining throughout the whole ordeal.

In looking beyond the pandemic, the hospital, which last year put its surgical procedures on hold to focus exclusively on COVID-19, has already started providing other treatment, such as hernia and shoulder replacement interventions that do not require overnight stays.