Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523590
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JULY 2024 NEWS struggling and then came a COVID surge private sector - that provide emergency care will be issued imminently, in order to rope in untapped resources at govern- ment's expense," the ministry added. It will also be unveiling "an aggressive information and education campaign" to direct persons in need of care to the "most effective service in their vicinity". The ministry hopes this will improve efficiency and expediency, while easing the burden on the general hos- pital. Longer-term projects include the issuance of a tender docu- ment for several projects that include an extension to the Emergency Department that will see the number of treat- ment cubicles increase to 70 from 30, the expansion of ITU beds by 40% and the building of a 126-bed acute psychiatric unit. "Whereas government fund- ing for these projects is guar- anteed, it is obvious that rig- orous public procurement and planning regulations and time- frames must be adhered to," the ministry said. Meanwhile, non-clinical ser- vices, including administration have started being relocat- ed out of Mater Dei to create space that will be converted to clinical ward areas. The ministry told MaltaTo- day that the first such space to be cleared will accommodate 50 new beds by the end of this year. Opposition blames failures on population growth Even if these measures will help ease the pressure on the public health service, the im- pact is unlikely to be felt im- mediately. A more pressing question will be whether they will be enough to cater for Malta's growing population. Opposition health spokes- person Adrian Delia believes that emergencies such as the current COVID surge are only making worse an already pre- carious situation. He blames the rapid population growth and government's inability to plan ahead for the current pre- dicament at Mater Dei. "The problems being expe- rienced now have long been coming as a result of govern- ment's economic policy based on population growth that overwhelmed public services and infrastructure to the point that this is now impacting permanent residents in their everyday lives," Delia told Mal- taToday. Health minister Jo Etienne Abela (left) and PN spokesman Adrian Delia