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Dalli report ‘not government’s position’ – health minister
Investigations into procurement systems and contracts to be taken up by police, Attorney General and Auditor General
27 November 2013, 12:00am
Jurgen Balzan
Jurgen Balzan
2 min read
Godfrey Farrugia (second from right) said the government was not going to go on a collision course with unions.
Health minister Godfrey Farrugia has set up a cautious stand on the John Dalli report on Mater Dei Hospital's administration, after nurses' union MUMN today warned the government it would not discuss the findings unless Dalli retracts what they said were "unsubstantiated" observations.
Farrugia said that the report did not reflect government's position, even though the health ministry is already investigating pilferage and shortcomings in the contracts and procurement policy at Mater Dei, employing the Attorney General, police, and the Auditor General on two working committees.
"The Dalli report is not the government's position... we have no position yet on the report, and we will be setting up a working group to analyse the report," Farrugia said.
When pressed on the fact that the report was actually commissioned by the Prime Minister, Farrugia insisted that the report was "carried out on an initiative of John Dalli, who is a health ministry consultant on a voluntary basis."
The working group that will analyse the report will be composed of independent members, some of them from outside the healthcare sector, and are to be announced in the coming days.
Farrugia also said another two working groups, led by the Attorney General, the Auditor General and the Commissioner of Police, to investigate the shortcomings in the healthcare procurement system and contracts taken out by Mater Dei.
Farrugia confirmed this initiative was being taken on the strength of the Dalli report.
Reacting to the nurses' union's animated press conference earlier in the day, which blasted the Dalli report, Farrugia said he would be meeting nurses shortly.
Farrugia also said that it was Dalli's own prerogative not to meet nurses to discuss his study. "I won't go into the merits of how Dalli reached his conclusions... but government does not intend to go into a collision course with unions. There is a lot of food for thought for government, and although some shortcomings are being addressed there is much more to do."
Jurgen Balzan was a MaltaToday reported from 2011 to 2017.
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Mr. Pace, any comments on the above. Don't you think that with your bla bla bla you have shown us your immaturity and you are not fit to lead a Union?
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Pawl indunajt li Malta kollha kontrik? Xi trid tiddefendi Pawl? Dalwaqt il-membri jibdew jitlquk ghax bil-paroli tieghek waqqajthom ghac-cajt. Jekk il-ministru ghandu c-cicri irid ihaffef u fejn hemm bzonn irid jiehu azzjoni inkella ahjar iwarrab.
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Jidher car li jekk tmiss il ferita din twegga u donhom il union ran nurses qed jibzghu mil verita
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Who exactly is the minister for Health? Dalli or Farrugia?
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As long as any "working group/s" goes about its/their business with the same professionalism as Dalli, then OK. OTHERWISE? Watering down and placating unions will work against Government, now that the taxpayer/voter/citizen has been brought into the sordid picture. Careful perhaps. Easy going, no way.
