Increase in operations at Mater Dei during early 2011

In a statement announcing the surge in hospital attendance and surgical operations carried out, the Ministry of Health, the Elderly, and Community Care Joe Cassar and Parliamentary Secretary Mario Gelea thanked medical staff for its hard work “during the days when the influenza virus was at its worst.”

Between 1 and 5 January, the ministry said, 581 operations and interventions under anesthetic were carried out – an increase of 17% over the previous year when over the same period 497 such operations were carried out.

The ministry also pointed out that not only the number of operations increased, but no operations were cancelled at nay point due to the number of patients in the emergency department or elsewhere in the hospital.

With regards to patient influx, while in the first five days of 2010 there were 1,483 patients received at the emergency department, this year 1,628 were received. Following examination, 497 were admitted for care in Mater Dei – a 10% over the previous year.

Over the same period, the ministry added, ambulance calls increased by 78 instances daily – while last year there were 70 each day – an increase in total of 11.5%.

Cassar and Galea both issued their thanks to the hospital medical staff, and all those employed in health centres for their hard work during a difficult period.