Martin Balzan to step aside as president of medics lobby

Martin Balzan will be stepping aside as president of the Medical Association of Malta after 28 years working in the union.

Balzan told MaltaToday that he had expressed a desire to step down at the beginning of his latest term.

While his term was supposed to end later in the year, the associated decided to hold the election for a new president and council members in April.

The association convened for its annual general meeting on 20 February. Balzan said that just under 500 members attended the meeting.

The motion to appoint Balzan as honorary president of the association was approved with 82% of members voting in favour.

A respiratory consultant and senior lecturer, Balzan has been active in union and professional circles for decades.

He served as president of the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions (CMTU), general secretary of the Commonwealth Medical Association, vice president of the Standing Committee of European Doctors, and a long-time member of the European Board of Accreditation of Pulmonology.

In the past month, Balzan has dominated headlines for his role in an escalating showdown with government and Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela.

The dispute erupted when the doctors’ union issued directives ordering Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency department staff not to refer patients to private hospitals. This came just as the health ministry rolled out a €14 million agreement to send overflow patients to three private hospitals in an attempt to alleviate chronic overcrowding at Mater Dei.