MUMN will not take part in task force, Health Ministry replies ‘rethink’

The MUMN has taken umbrage at comments passed by the President of the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) Martin Balzan on the Times.

In a letter to Health Minister Joe Cassar, MUMN President Paul Pace said that Balzan had called MUMN a "militant union" and that no such union should form part of a task force.

In its reply, the Health Ministry said the union to rethink its decision even though it had not attended the meeting when the task force was set up.

However, Pace said that the union's decision "was final and it would not be revoked".

"For the last four years MUMN had offered solutions to the Health Department which the same department had decided to ignore," Pace said.

He added that MUMN is the biggest union in the health sector having more than double the members than all three unions combined together.

"MUMN will not allow any union or the Health Division, through the task force, to implement changes that cause more hardships for patients and nurses involved," Pace said, warning that the union will issue "the necessary directives if needed".

As a result of Balzan's comments, Pace said the climate within the task force is going to be "unhealthy".

"Even before meetings started, the President of MAM has declared that it would be better if MUMN didn't participate. MUMN is also informed that during the first meeting Balzan continuously attacked us even though we were not present at the meeting," Pace wrote to the Health Minister.

Pace added that MUMN had only requested the Health Division to provide the aims and objectives before attending meetings of the task force.

He said that MUMN was proud to be described as "a militant union", if it was working in the interests of the patients.

"Patients continuously complain with us nurses for being placed in various areas of the hospital and we will not remain quiet in front of these situations," Pace said.

"MUMN is neither going to keep its mouth shut in front of the huge difficulties that the nurses and midwives have to face as a result of the bed shortage," he said.

"Nurses and midwives are the only health care professionals that work with the patients on a 24 hour basis. Other professionals leave the hospital even after just five hours of work."

Pace said that while MUMN could be described as militant, it definitely could not be described as partisan.

"The members of MUMN do not have any financial priorities that certain health care professionals have. Dumping patients as sacks of potatoes in corridor wards or at Saint Vincent de Paul's Residence is to be condemned. MUMN will not be part of such decision-making process," he insisted.