A new patient was admitted to Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency room every two minutes on Monday as the summer rush and the closure of a major community health clinic pile pressure on the national hospital. 

Although patients at the emergency room usually wait around 30 minutes for an initial triage examination by a nurse, on Monday they had to wait for some two hours.

Those with less urgent issues had to wait even longer once they passed triage, with some left waiting for hours on end before being seen by emergency staff. 

A spokesperson for the health ministry said that while on a “normal day” the emergency room receives an average of 370 patients, there was a total of 485 patients admitted on Monday. 

Patients seen in order of urgency

“There were sustained periods where a new patient at the emergency department was registered every two minutes. As per usual protocol, all patients are seen by professionals in order of urgency,” the spokesperson said. 

Triage involves patients being seen by nurses soon after they arrive at the emergency room to assess the degree of urgency of their case.

Patients are then moved to a second waiting area until they are called and assigned a bed to be seen by emergency doctors. 

Sources within the health system said Monday is always busier than other weekdays as many put off seeking medical treatment over the weekend.

However, this is even more pronounced in the peak tourism season of July and August as many tourists in need of medical attention head straight to the national hospital instead of seeking out a community health centre.  

To make matters worse, the Birkirkara health centre is temporarily closed while it undergoes refurbishment.

Although signs at the shuttered clinic direct patients to the Floriana and Qormi centres, Mater Dei sources said many were just heading straight to the national hospital.

“This means additional pressure on the emergency department and longer waiting times, as we saw on Monday,” an emergency nurse said. 

The health ministry spokesperson did not say when the Birkirkara health centre would reopen.