Doctors’ warning: urgent measures necessary to avoid collapse of health system

The Medical Association of Malta has sent out a new warning on Malta’s health system, after the island registered a seven-day average of 125 new cases of COVID-19 per day. 

Two deaths were reported on Sunday yesterday. 

The situation now is that 16 patients are in the intensive therapy unity, with over 80 admitted to hospital. 

“It is expected that at this very high daily number of cases, hospitalizations, intensive care admissions, and deaths will continue to rise. 3-5 new ITU admissions per day are expected,” MAM president Martin Balzan said. 

Balzan warned that the situation at the health services will soon hit a critical point, and further restrictive measures were necessary as soon as possible. 

“This means that the point where the health services will not cope with the demand is getting dangerously close. Soon most elective operations may have to be cancelled as staff will have to be redeployed. While the ministry claims to have 100 ventilators, the staff available can only cater for about a quarter of that number.” 

Balzan said there was a day’s waiting list for urgent swabbing, and up to six days for other patients. “Contact-tracing has been overwhelmed by cases and rendered ineffective. Unlike other unions, MAM and Union Haddiema Maghqudin have accepted that a number of their members help out with case management and contact-tracing, however a considerable backlog of several days has accumulated.” 

Balzan said scenes of revellers on Saturday evening at Paceville clearly illustrated the problem. “A significant number of people who do not comply with the rules, assuming that the government has no intention to enforce. Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri should be angry with himself and his colleagues as this is the result of 6 months of mixed messages and fake enforcement. The handling of journalists at the PM’s press conference could not have given a worse example to the man in the street.” 

Balzan also said that COVID-19 was mentioned just seven times during the Budget 2021, and not a single reference to recession. “Clearly the government is in denial of the enormous danger to its citizens. No: it is not business as usual, as both the health and economy are under threat of COVID-19. Our parents and grandparents do not have to die because of such a failure.” 

“Other EU leaders who are in contact with reality, have taken their responsibilities seriously and follow the advice of their medical experts and have introduced partial lockdowns or curfews. Malta has no choice but to act immediately and decisively, otherwise the situation will spiral out of control.”