The Malta Medical Association has warned this morning that “urgent restrictive measures are necessary to avoid collapse of the health care system.” Adding that, it is “time for the government to face reality and take decisions based on the advice of medical experts.”
“Malta has no choice but to act immediately and decisively, otherwise the situation will spiral out of control,” the Association said.
In a statement on Monday that MAM pointed out that the 7 day moving average is now of 125 new cases per day, with two new deaths reported yesterday. 16 patients are in ITU and over 80 people admitted to hospital.The MAM highlighted that it is expected that at this very high daily number of cases, hospitalisations, intensive care admissions, and deaths will continue to rise. 3-5 new ITU admissions per day are expected.
MAM warned that “this means that the point where the health services will not cope with the demand is getting dangerously close.”
It stressed that “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.”
Furthermore, it said, there is a day’s waiting list for urgent swabbing, and 5-6 days for other patients. “Contact tracing has been overwhelmed by cases and rendered ineffective.”
“Unlike other unions” MAM and UHM said that they 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.”
MAM went on to say that “the scene 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.”
“Minister Camilleri should be angry with himself and his colleagues as this is the result of 6 months of mixed messages and fake enforcement,” the union said.
MAM pointed out that “the handling of journalists at the PM’s press conference could not have given a worse example to the man in the street.”
“In a 20,000 word budget speech the word Covid was mentioned just 7 times, and the word recession not a single time,” said MAM “Clearly the government is in denial of the enormous danger to its citizens.”
MAM stressed that, “No it is not business as usual, as both the health and economy are under threat of Covid. Our parents and grandparents do not have to die because of such a failure.”
The Association warned that “the situation at the health services will soon hit a critical point, and further restrictive measures are necessary as soon as possible.”
The Malta Medical Association concluded by highlight that “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.”