The Health Ministry has categorically denied claims that a patient at Mater Dei died in the corridor of the hospital’s emergency department on Friday night.
The allegation was made by Net News in an article published by the website on Saturday morning.
Net claimed that the patient died after doctors were unable to find his medical file in time, preventing healthcare professionals from relocating the patient into a hospital ward. They quoted an anonymous emergency department worker as saying that the death could have been avoided if the state hospital had a computerised filing system in place.
Within hours, the Health Ministry issued a statement denying the news report from start to finish.
“Mater Dei Hospital categorically denies the story,” the ministry said, adding that hospital procedures “at no point delay patient care or preclude them from being admitted into a ward.”
A Health Ministry spokesperson further confirmed to Times of Malta that no death at Mater Dei’s emergency department in the past hours matched that alleged by Net News.
Furthermore, patients were not held back at the hospital's emergency department due to issues relating to physical medical files, they added.
A Mater Dei Hospital spokesperson said the hospital operates a computerised system which collates the vast majority of patient data, including all previous results, investigations and procedures.
"Patient files are mainly required where the medical history goes back years, to ensure relevant important data is captured," they said.
"The transition to a completely paperless system is complex and therefore must be undertaken in phases. However, the electronic systems available to physicians enable them to provide care without having to rely on the physical patient file in most circumstances. The physical patient file acts as a safeguard in this transition phase."
In its statement, the ministry condemned the original news report for “sparking alarm among the public and putting emergency department workers at Mater Dei Hospital in a bad light.”