Sammut spoke out about the matter in a social media post over the last few days, highlighting the two issues that patients are currently faced with.

“Although the Center is open 24/7 and there is an x-ray machine, the x-ray service is not offered after 7pm, nor on Sundays and public holidays,” Sammut said. 

“This means that a patient who goes to the Center with a fracture or pain that needs an x-ray at some of these times, after waiting in the queue in Paola to see a doctor will be sent back to the queue in the Mosta Centre to take the x-ray, then they need to stand again in the queue to be seen by a Mosta doctor, and if he needs any specialised intervention he is sent back to the Mater Dei queue.”

“This is when with a little more commitment the x-ray service in Paola can be kept running 24/7 and the patient waits and is examined once, and the pressure on the Mosta Center is also reduced,” he said. 

Sammut also spoke about the shortage of urine dipsticks, as Health Centres all over the island seem to have run out.

“It seems that the Health Centers no longer have urine dipsticks. These are necessary to perform a basic test on urine for diagnosis of infections, especially on children and pregnant women.”

“Currently, people are being asked to be sent to do this test in private, pay for it, and go back to the Center with the result,” he claimed. 

“This is a basic tool, it doesn’t cost a lot of money, and I can’t understand how the primary health service can do without them,” he lamented. 

Do you think the government should be doing more?