NEWS | Wednesday, 18 March 2009

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Endoscopy patients turned away from Mater Dei

An influx of patients in Mater Dei on Monday led to cancellations of endoscopies because the endoscopy recovery room was taken up by other medical patients.
The recovery room is used for convalescing patients who have had an endoscopy, before being discharged from hospital.
Sources said the hospital’s day-care unit, used for convalescing patients, was “full up” on Monday. Patients who could not be accommodated in the day-care unit were placed inside the endoscopy recovery room. Other recovery wards, usually reserved for surgery patients, could not be used.
Endoscopy patients had to make use of bathrooms to change their clothes. Interventions for the day were scaled down and Tuesday’s appointments had to be cancelled.
Sources said the day-care unit, which was supposed to be a crucial part of the hospital’s mission to discharge patients as soon as possible, was now turning into another ward to accommodate patients when beds are not available.

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