MUMN in agreement with recent Mater Dei reports

No consultation process has begun with the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses on the problems outlined in two reports published recently about Mater Dei Hospital.

The two reports, released by the Health Commissioner and by the Auditor General, prove that the MUMN has been right in its criticism over the past five years, according to a statement released by the union today.

Moreover, they said, the problems outlined in the Health Commissioner's report can be solved by implementing two things: "arranging doctors' work practice in Accident and Emergency, and increasing beds in the hospital".

They said the union has been saying for three years that the hospital needs at least another 300 beds.

"The media and some politicians even criticised such recommendations. As a consequence, the public was left to suffer," they said.

"What is most important, however, is how the current minister intends to stop all the repetitive work which MUMN had pointed out and which was confirmed in the report by newly appointed health ombudsman Charles Messina," they said.

"John Dalli was tackling the same issues three years ago before he was sent to Brussels as an EU commissioner. Why does it take at least four doctors to be admitted in Mater Dei Hospital whilst in private practice just one is enough?"

The MUMN called for the blame to stop being placed on people who go directly to Mater Dei Accident and Emergency, and criticised the fact that medical consultants were allowed to choose the nurses they wanted on the committees they were leading.

Messina's report, carried out in October 2012, said many patients were being left long hours - sometimes days - awaiting admission in a restricted space, "devoid of privacy, dignity, general hygiene" and increasing the risk of hospital infection.

Other problems outlined in the report included the repetition of work, long waits for scans, and long waiting lists for appointments with consultants.

MUMN also agreed with the Auditor General's statement that operating theatres are run without designated management, and criticised the handling of waiting lists and consultant lists.

"This is not an issue where the MUMN is against doctors. What there is, is a need for the government to grab the bull by the horns and start addressing the hardships of the people," they said.

They also called for similar reports to be conducted for Mount Carmel Hospital.