Mater Dei Hospital has had to cancel radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients due to a technical fault with the equipment.

The health ministry confirmed the radiotherapy service at the Sir Anthony Mamo oncology centre has been temporarily suspended but did not say how many patients are affected or when it would resume. 

It said that over the weekend, a problem developed with the linear accelerator, a machine that provides targeted treatment to cancer patients.

Initial investigations suggest the fault lies in the cooling system that regulates the engines of the machine.

The ministry said it was sorry for "any inconvenience caused" and is "making all the necessary arrangements in the best interests of the health of the affected patients".

An internal inquiry has been set up to establish what happened. The ministry said technicians have established the damage is repairable and preparations to fix the fault have begun. 

A brain cancer patient, who uses the radiotherapy service told Times of Malta that the hospital had called him on Monday morning to cancel his appointment. 

“We were told that all three radiotherapy machines were not functioning after water seeped into them,” he said. 

“It is a concern that my treatment has been disrupted, and when I asked when the treatment would continue, the person on the phone could not give me a date.”

He said he feared any interruption to his treatment, worrying that the disease could return or that he would need a longer treatment time to control it. 

The Nationalist Party said a contingency plan should be put in place so that such an incident does not happen again.