Mater Dei management instantly reacted to the email published last Sunday on MaltaToday from an aggrieved mother whose son was undergoing chemotherapy, after she complained of a lack of drip stands, television and internet facilities.
Soon after MaltaToday’s enquiries, health minister Louis Deguara paid a visit to the relative to ensure any shortcomings would be addressed.
Chris Scicluna, spokesperson for the Foundation for Medical Services, which is overseeing the final stages of the migration from St Luke’s Hospital to Mater Dei, said the grievances in question did not “refer to the quality or standards of healthcare services offered at Mater Dei Hospital. The points raised are mainly related to hotel services which were previously unavailable in St Luke’s Hospital. Nevertheless the management is committed to meet the expectations of patients and regrets any inconvenience caused by the migration process.”
But it was the government and the lead proponents of Mater Dei, prime minister Lawrence Gonzi and Louis Deguara, who put in their own personal store into promoting the hotel services of the state of the art Mater Dei hospital.
Last week, MaltaToday published the email the mother sent to minister Louis Deguara on the quality of her son’s sojourn: “After all the millions and time wasted and all the hype about moving: there is no internet or TV (apparently the authorities have still not decided on a provider) and what the ward staff are saying is that it might be ready by January/February; there is no telephone service either in the rooms; believe it or not there are no drip stands in the hospital, so my son takes two doses of chemo (one over half an hour, the other over four hours), so he is literally chained to the bed by his chemo pipe!”
On his part, FMS spokesperson Chris Scicluna said the patient entertainment system (PES) concession had been awarded earlier this year to Melita Cable. “Network testing is underway and should be over in the next few days. The necessary preparatory work to affix the TV equipment is complete and therefore the PES should be up and running shortly after all stations are delivered.”
But he denied claims of missing drip stands. “There are no missing drip stands. The point you mentioned revolves around mobile drip stands in a particular ward where this patient is accommodated. A mobile drip stand was brought over in a short time to cater for this patient’s needs. Having said this, Mater Dei Hospital management regrets the inconvenience caused.”
Complaints were also received at MaltaToday over the parking fee structure at the Mater Dei car park, which charges 50c an hour and a maximum of Lm3 per day. However, in the case of regular visitors who make several trips to and out of the hospital, complainants said they were paying anything between Lm6 to Lm8. 
Scicluna said the parking fee structure was under review. “At present, the Mater Dei parking fee structure is identical to that employed at St Luke’s Hospital. Long-term patients such as Renal, Oncology and others already have free parking, one car per patient. These special permits are issued after cases are screened by a board.”
Scicluna said migration to the new hospital would only take place when the health authorities are absolutely sure that patient safety (both during migration and in the new hospital) can be guaranteed. “In this respect, the health authorities decided to move on with the last phase of patient migration to Mater Dei even though some hotel services are still in the process of being activated.”

mvella@mediatoday.com.mt