Dealing with hospital fires
Dealing with the risk of fires in any sizeable building provides a considerable challenge, but this is especially the case in a hospital. At any point in time, Mater Dei Hospital hosts hundreds of people, including staff, patients and visitors. Many patients, unsurprisingly, are not in a position to evacuate on their own, or to evacuate quickly. But rest assured: contingency plans exist, and they’re quite detailed. Moreover, fire drills are held each week, two wards at a time, to ensure hospital employees are well prepared should an actual fire occur. Members of the press were invited to witness one such fire drill yesterday. Only the lack of smoke or fire, signs announcing the fire drill and a number of patients who were exempted from participating in the fire drill due to their condition suggested that the unfolding event was not a reaction to a real fire. Those involved took the drill seriously – very much so – throughout its duration. Employees’ first actions were to locate the source of the fire, call in the fire team and to evacuate patients, including those who had to be wheeled out in their beds. Some time later, an employee thoroughly checked the ward’s rooms to ensure no one was left behind with a sense of urgency that did not betray the staged nature of the event.(independent.com.mt) Be assisted people to exercise a fire in a major hopitale can reassure the spectators.
VAT Department: Employee alerts superiors about bribe attempt
Police have been requested by the Finance Ministry to investigate fresh fraud allegations in the VAT Department after an employee alerted his superiors when offered €100 by a third party to speed up the process of a particular application. The news was confirmed by the Ministry of Finance, late in the afternoon amid speculation that this case involved the tampering of sensitive data in the VAT Department. In its statement the Ministry categorically denied this claim, and said that upon being contacted by this third party, the department employee alerted his superiors and action was taken immediately. A spokesman for the Ministry had earlier confirmed to this newspaper, that action was requested some time ago after a report was filed in which it was being claimed that some illegalities had taken place. So far this is being treated as an isolated case, although Ministry officials are being cautious and are not excluding yet that a wider case might unfold as investigations reach an advanced stage.(independent.com.mt) Corruption is a disease afflicting many countries.
MIA reports 11% rise in profit
Malta International Airport had reported a pre-tax profit of €18.92 million in 2011, an increase of 11.5% over 2010. In a statement issued this evening, the company said its directors had proposed a further gross dividend of €0.061538 (net €0.040) per share. This, together with the interim dividend of €0.046154 (net €0.030) per share will bring the total dividend for the financial year ended 31st December 2011, to a gross final dividend of €0.107692 (net €0.070). The company said that passenger traffic increased by 6.5% over the record year figures of 2010. "This achievement is more significant when one takes into consideration that the number of aircraft movements in 2011 was 3.2% less than in 2010 and that the total number of seats available was 0.9% less than 2010." Cargo figures were 4.0% less than the previous year. As a result of this increase in passenger traffic, revenue increased from €51.34 million to €52.43 million. The revenue from the aviation sector increased from €38.39 million to €39.20 million whilst the Retail and Property sector increased from €12.46 million to €12.62 million.(timesofmalta.com) This does not he say that prices have increased significantly?
Dealing with the risk of fires in any sizeable building provides a considerable challenge, but this is especially the case in a hospital. At any point in time, Mater Dei Hospital hosts hundreds of people, including staff, patients and visitors. Many patients, unsurprisingly, are not in a position to evacuate on their own, or to evacuate quickly. But rest assured: contingency plans exist, and they’re quite detailed. Moreover, fire drills are held each week, two wards at a time, to ensure hospital employees are well prepared should an actual fire occur. Members of the press were invited to witness one such fire drill yesterday. Only the lack of smoke or fire, signs announcing the fire drill and a number of patients who were exempted from participating in the fire drill due to their condition suggested that the unfolding event was not a reaction to a real fire. Those involved took the drill seriously – very much so – throughout its duration. Employees’ first actions were to locate the source of the fire, call in the fire team and to evacuate patients, including those who had to be wheeled out in their beds. Some time later, an employee thoroughly checked the ward’s rooms to ensure no one was left behind with a sense of urgency that did not betray the staged nature of the event.(independent.com.mt) Be assisted people to exercise a fire in a major hopitale can reassure the spectators.
VAT Department: Employee alerts superiors about bribe attempt
Police have been requested by the Finance Ministry to investigate fresh fraud allegations in the VAT Department after an employee alerted his superiors when offered €100 by a third party to speed up the process of a particular application. The news was confirmed by the Ministry of Finance, late in the afternoon amid speculation that this case involved the tampering of sensitive data in the VAT Department. In its statement the Ministry categorically denied this claim, and said that upon being contacted by this third party, the department employee alerted his superiors and action was taken immediately. A spokesman for the Ministry had earlier confirmed to this newspaper, that action was requested some time ago after a report was filed in which it was being claimed that some illegalities had taken place. So far this is being treated as an isolated case, although Ministry officials are being cautious and are not excluding yet that a wider case might unfold as investigations reach an advanced stage.(independent.com.mt) Corruption is a disease afflicting many countries.
MIA reports 11% rise in profit
Malta International Airport had reported a pre-tax profit of €18.92 million in 2011, an increase of 11.5% over 2010. In a statement issued this evening, the company said its directors had proposed a further gross dividend of €0.061538 (net €0.040) per share. This, together with the interim dividend of €0.046154 (net €0.030) per share will bring the total dividend for the financial year ended 31st December 2011, to a gross final dividend of €0.107692 (net €0.070). The company said that passenger traffic increased by 6.5% over the record year figures of 2010. "This achievement is more significant when one takes into consideration that the number of aircraft movements in 2011 was 3.2% less than in 2010 and that the total number of seats available was 0.9% less than 2010." Cargo figures were 4.0% less than the previous year. As a result of this increase in passenger traffic, revenue increased from €51.34 million to €52.43 million. The revenue from the aviation sector increased from €38.39 million to €39.20 million whilst the Retail and Property sector increased from €12.46 million to €12.62 million.(timesofmalta.com) This does not he say that prices have increased significantly?