This was a reference to the sum paid by the state to Vitals and Steward Healthcare for the running of three public hospitals. This deal was later annulled after being ruled as fraudulent by the court.

“While this is not directly the minister’s fault, this is a system failure because of insufficient infrastructure. The Minister had to be honest and admit this publicly and apologise to patients for this situation not blame those who do their best for patients in such unfortunate circumstances.”

The MAM said that the ministry decided to close a ward designed for critical patients needing ventilation. Patients were transferred to wards which are not equipped for them, against the opinion of medical consultants and international guidelines on patient safety, the association claimed.

Due to the patients being in danger of dying, doctors wrote to the state advocate opposing the decision in the case that a death results in a magisterial inquiry.

It continued to express disappointment at the ministry for “not following its legal obligations with the association to discuss outsourcing”.

It highlighted the fact that Maltese tax-payers fork out €10,000 for an IVF procedure while most European health centres charge under €2,000.

“The Ministry should come clean and refer this situation to the auditor general rather than blame MAM for demanding honesty and integrity. It comes as no surprise that this did not happen.”

Following the inquiry findings, Abela held a press conference where he blasted people who spread misinformation regarding the conditions that led to Mangion’s death.

In the last two hours before Mangion’s death, he was in the waiting room after three ECGs did not indicate a heart attack. However, he did complain to nurses about intensifying pain before collapsing. Abela was asked whether he thinks Mangion should have received more attention during those final hours and the minister said “I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t have an opinion about that’.

He said that this is a diagnostic medical process that the ministerial inquiry will be looking into, among other things.

Matthew Caruana Galizia shared the sentiments of the MAM, saying “The health system is suffering from €400 million that was stolen from it by people in the party that is still in government”.

He continued by saying that the people cannot be blamed for using Mangion’s death as an outlet for frustration at the state of the system.

“You can’t blame most people for justifiably turning someone they didn’t know, whose death they weren’t fully informed on – why would they be? – into a symbol for everything that’s wrong with it.”

“In his death, people did not see Stephen Mangion, they saw themselves, dying in a waiting room 1, 10 or 15 years from now. That anxiety and anger is justified. Yes, some people shot from the hip – but the government’s attempt to seize a righteous position in this moment is transparent and desperate.”

An emergency doctor also reacted to these findings, saying censuring the misinformation spread following the death of Mangion and calling for “tools not enemies”.

“Stop flogging an already overworked workforce unfairly and unjustly.”

Do you think the medical infrastructure in Malta is insufficient?