Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/587664
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2015 News 3 DIN L-ART ĦELWA THE SAVE THE COUNTRYSIDE DEBATE Wednesday, 28 th October, 2015 at 7pm Valletta Campus, Old University Building St Paul's Street, Valletta Il-Futur tal-ODZ. Għall-Maltin kollha jew għall-ispekulaturi biss? EEA Grants NGO Malta Programme 2009 - 2014 This project is part-financed by the IEEA Grants. Grants. Co-Financing Rate: 90% IEEA Funding. 10% Beneficiary Funds THE DEBATE WILL BE IN MALTESE. ADMISSION IS FREE. Mater Dei to have two new wards by November Final farewell to murdered lawyer Carmel Chircop MIRIAM DALLI AN €11.5 million medical admis- sion units project adjacent to Mater Dei's accident and emer- gency department will start receiv- ing patients by the second week of November. Health Minister Konrad Mizzi, parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne and junior minister Ian Borg on Saturday morning visited the finalisation of works of two new wards, built in less than 10 months. The project, to hold 68 beds, was co-financed by the EU. The admissions wards will oper- ate on a short-stay basis: patients admitted to the MAU2 and MAU3 wards will remain for 48 hours following which they will be dis- charged or transferred to other wards according to the needs of the patients. An improved hospital service and increased bed space also required a change in management practices, the health minister explained. "The government's plan is to in- crease 500 beds across the whole health estate, 300 of which will be at Mater Dei Hospital," Mizzi said, adding that further bed expansion includes Karin Grech Hospital, the Gozo General Hospital, the devel- opment of a new Palliative Care Unit and other areas. "It is also important to change management practices. The new bed management process will al- low for a better admissions and discharge system. The Emergency department will have an observa- tion area, whereby a patient would be under observation as doctors decide whether the patient is ready for discharge or should be kept at the hospital." Mizzi said that the MAU would be purely an admissions unit and patients in this ward would not spend more than 48 hours there. "A hospitality lounge will be opened early next year, allowing patients to wait for a discharge letter or medicines in a more com- fortable environment rather than next to a bed," he said. The hos- pitality lounge will also allow more beds to be freed. Mizzi and Fearne said criticism of patients in corridors was "justi- fied". "It is undignified for the patient and uncomfortable for those tak- ing care of them. The government is working tirelessly to increase bed space and changing process- es," Mizzi said. Underlining government's ethos to provide a service of quality, which is accessible and sustaina- ble, Fearne said "we want to create a five-star hospital but this won't be possible until the environment is improved. The delivery of serv- ice remains excellent but more needs to be done to improve the environment." Fearne added that the govern- ment was also investing in human resources. Most of the project costs - €9 million – were funded by the Eu- ropean Union. Ian Borg said it had been a challenge for the admin- istration to secure the funds and complete the project before the end of year. The funds would have been lost if the government missed the deadline. The original plan included the construction of these two wards above the A&E department. But following claims of weak concrete used in the original construction of the hospital and the inquiry launched saw a change of plans, whereby the two wards were built adjacent to the department. CHRIS MANGION HUNDREDS gathered in the streets of Birkirkara early yes- terday morning to pay their last respects to Carmel Chircop, the 51-year-old lawyer who was murdered outside a garage com- plex earlier last week. Duke of Connaught's Own, the band club of which Chircop was president, performed at the fu- neral procession that started at 8:45am at Valley Road and cul- minated at 10am at St Helen's Basilica. Chircop was shot at least four times on 7 October at 7:30m at the entrance of a garage complex on John Borg Street, Birkirkara, where he kept his car garaged. He had walked to the garage from his house. From footage gleaned from three CCTV cameras in the neighbourhood, a 'light-col- oured' vehicle was seen driv- ing away from the scene of the crime, but the make of the car is not known. Police have said they are in- vestigating a death threat made against Chircop back in 2013. Chircop was a former legal ad- visor to the Malta Maritime Au- thority, and in 2008 set up his own law firm – Chircop Advo- cates – which firm merged into Dingli & Dingli in 2013. Chircop also set up Quorum Corporate Services, which offers account- ing services. He was also listed as a director at government's investment arm, MIMCOL. €11.5 million medical admission units to hold 68 beds • A&E department to have a hospitality lounge and observation area Government will be increasing the number of beds at Mater Dei by 300 over the coming years A sombre funeral procession took place in Birkirkara's streets to honour murdered lawyer Carmel Chircop