12,000 children treated at new hospital accident unit

Over 12,000 children have been treated at Mater Dei’s children’s casualty centre so far, health minister Chris Fearne has announced in a tweet.

Over 12,000 boys and girls treated at Children's Casualty at Mater Dei #MDH since inauguration last December. pic.twitter.com/argMCYXWSu

— Chris Fearne (@chrisfearne) August 29, 2016

Launched last December, the specialized children casualty centre was intended to ease the pressure off the hospital’s casualty department, where children used to make up 20% of its total patients.

It is run by 11 nurses – who each received specialized training – and two consultants in paediatric emergency services.

The centre consists of medical treatment rooms with specialized paediatric facilities, a breastfeeding room, and a playing room.

During its launch, Fearne said that the centre is expected to treat up to 22,000 children a year.