Steward Malta invests in new hospital fleet

Steward Health Care Malta has invested in 18 new patient transport vehicles that will be used at St Luke’s Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital and Gozo General Hospital, the hospital operator said in a statement.

The new hospital fleets will be replacing much older vehicles, some of which date back to the early 1990s, contributing to a much-improved experience for the hospital’s staff and patients.

Dr Stephen Zammit, CEO of Karin Grech Hospital, explained that, “the safety of our geriatric and rehabilitation patients as well as of our staff is one of our main focuses at Steward, thus being able to provide tools which improve the standards of care is essential.”

The newly purchased vehicles include 14 large vans, three smaller easy-access vehicles, and a rapid response vehicle, all of which contribute to a much safer, and comfortable experience, with a much smaller impact on the environment, the company said.

“The transport departments at Steward hospitals transport over 100 patients a day, mostly elderly patients who require an additional level of comfort and support. These patients often lack the mobility to attend appointments on their own, and risk being marginalised unless given additional help in moving around.

Patients are brought from their homes to the hospital for outpatient appointments and they are taken to Mater Dei and to other appointments outside the hospital. This is done to ensure that patients are cared for in every way,” the statement read.

Joseph Fenech, CEO of Gozo General Hospital, explained how patients needing transport from Gozo to Malta and viceversa will now be transported in safer and more comfortable vehicles.

Furthermore, the introduction of the rapid response vehicle in Gozo was also a very welcome addition to the fleet. This vehicle is used by members of the emergency medicine team to provide first aid to anyone injured around the island and helps the hospital use its resources more efficiently by assessing an incident’s severity and treating smaller incidents at the scene. “The vehicle has helped the Gozo Hospital improve response times in heavily-trafficked areas and in less-accessible country roads. The rapid response vehicle is more able to manoeuvre through than full sized ambulances,” he explained. This investment is yet another example of Steward’s commitment to improving the hospital infrastructures in Malta and Gozo through increased accessibility, quality of care, and safety.