Labour calls for investigation into medical appointments

The government is using the public service for its partisan interests, Labour MP Helena Dalli said today.

The Opposition MP insisted that the report published recently by the Public Service Commission gives a damning verdict on the abusive way the current administration appoints persons of trust.

Dalli said: "The government is appointing persons in positions of trust at levels, including decision making, technical and consultancy roles."

She added that the commission declared that such abusive appointments are in breach of the Constitution.

In its report, the Public Service Commission pointed out the appointment of four medical consultants despite not being qualified for the job. One of these had not even obtained a certificate of specialist training - a key requirement for the job.

When faced with the commission's conclusions, the board members in charge of the appointments reacted by promptly disclaiming all responsibility for the appointments by withdrawing their signatures.

Since then the health ministry refused to disclose the names of the selection board members, claiming Data Protection, a justification the Data Protection Commissioner more recently shot down.

Dalli called on the Ombudsman's freshly appointed health commissioner to investigate the health ministry's refusal to disclose the names of the board members, saying it was in the public interest to know who the board members were.

"Obtaining a public sector job is all about who you are and who you know, rather than what you know," Dalli said. "This does not auger well for the public service. There is no transparency, no accountability and no meritocracy."

Dalli explained that the government has the duty to set a good example since it is the country's largest employer as the country's biggest employer but it is instead recurring to bad practice.