The Planning Commission on Wednesday gave its green light for the development of a brand-new outpatients block at Mater Dei hospital, which will cover the area in front of the present mortuary and the dysfunctional helipad which was turned into a parking area.
The five-storey building will include an underground multi-storey car park to cater for 658 car parking spaces as well as an underground bus terminus. Only just over a third of the total floor area will be used for clinical services. The site has a total area of 16,550 square metres.
The new outpatients block, which had been recommended for approval by the Planning Directorate, will be approximately three metres higher than the rest of the hospital building and will remove the traffic congestion around the hospital’s entrance.
Officially opened in 2008, Mater Dei Hospital from the outset proved to be too small for the country’s exigencies and has struggled to cope with the increasing requirements.
The outpatient’s department within the hospital resulted in overcrowding, congestion in corridors for both patients and staff and a lack of consultation rooms.
According to the Foundation for Medical Services, which applied for the permit, the new block will enhance patient care and satisfaction as well as increase the hospital’s operational efficiency.
According to information given in Parliament, the new block is expected to cost around €170 million and is expected to take over four years to complete.
The current Outpatients Department within Mater Dei Hospital will be changed into much-needed additional wards and beds.
The block will have a cafeteria and two pharmacies at ground floor level, outpatients’ rooms for various departments, meeting rooms, several consultants’ rooms and a number of staff rooms.
There will be a staff-only bridge connecting the building to the main hospital building, similar to the one that exists connecting the Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre.
The block had originally been designed with a wine colour scheme, but this was changed to mirror natural stone oat n the request of the PA’s design advisory committee.
The façades of the outpatients’ building will be finished in rendered masonry painted in light ivory with Gozitan limestone cladding installed on certain portions of the building.
The design also incorporates aluminium louvres in light ivory colour, aluminium mesh and light grey perforated curved steel mesh.
The permit was issued on condition that cart ruts found on site are preserved and incorporated into the project, which will be monitored by the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage.