MUMN holds meeting with health minister over community services

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) has initiated talks with the health ministry to extend the Community Services and to address the issues related to the waiting lists at Mater Dei Hospital.

This week, MUMN president Paul Pace and secretary-general Colin Galea had the first meeting with health minister Konrad Mizzi and parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne on the introduction of the Family Health Nurse in the community care.

During this meeting both parties discussed the nursing challenges in the operating theatres and in the surgical wards at Mater Dei Hospital which need to be addressed so that the Health Department can be in a better position to address the waiting lists in the these departments.

The meeting was held following MUMN’s statement issued on Tuesday, in which the union said that the Maltese population still lacks from the services of the Family Health Nurse, resulting in patients who have been discharged from Mater Dei Hospital being readmitted in a matter of a few days adding to the substantial waiting lists for elderly residences since no proper community services are being provided to the chronically ill respiratory patients.

“Such meeting was just the beginning of a series of meetings with a follow up meeting planned in two weeks time,” MUMN said, adding that it will be holding various meetings with nurses working in various departments.