A deal made with Malta’s nurses and midwives union will see 200 nurses hired in the coming months to ramp up the fight against COVID-19, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed in Parliament today.

This is apart from the 200 nurses brought in this year already.

Fearne also spoke of four new Intensive Care Units designated for virus patients, two are currently being used while two are in reserve.

“Our staff are true heroes, who work beyond their shifts, cry with patients and their relatives and give their all. We must protect these people,” he said.

Operations have also been reduced in Mater Dei in order to deploy some doctors and nurses on the frontline of the COVID-19 battle.

“We usually have 18 operating theatres at Mater Dei open, now it’s been reduced to 12, in order to deploy those doctors and nurses to the COVID-19 ITUs and support the staff there,” he added.

The new nurses are mostly foreigners because Maltese nurse graduates work as soon as they finish their studies.

Malta has experienced surging rates of COVID-19 infections in the last month. Today saw a record-breaking among of active cases, with 218 found in the last 24 hours. Fresh restrictions have been introduced in the last weeks, including mandatory masks in public spaces; a group limit of six people and a month lockdown for bars.

What do you think of this?