Health Minister insists MUMN suspends directives

TWEET SHARE

Though MUMN are prepared to hold talks with government, they are refusing to suspend directives until after the talks are held.

The MUMN has issued a number of directives to nurses at Mater Dei and Mount Carmel in protest to the acute shortage of nurses at the said hospitals and health centres. Promises made by the government to hold talks last April – when MUMN lifted industrial action – were not honoured, as hardly and meetings took place.

The minister said that there were a number of issues and these had to be prioritised so that short, medium and long-term plans can be drawn up.

He promised long-term plans of better community service to keep patients out of the hospitals.

The minister was speaking at a press conference held at Accident and Emergency Department of Mater Dei, where he introduced Lill Mari Nilsen, a paramedic on a student exchange from Norway. She is about to commence a three-month training period as an emergency nurse with Mater Dei Hospital. She is the third student paramedic to come from Norway for training.

This is part of the Norwegian exchange programme, from which three Maltese emergency nurses have just returned.

Head consultant of Accident and Emergency Dr Jonathan Joslin said, “This is a great opportunity to share ideas and experiences between countries. Pre-hopital care requires different preparation in Malta and Norway for a number of reasons including long distances. Experiences in a different country within different cultures will increase the nurses knowledge base which is vital on our small island.”

Rachel Zammit Cutajar graduated in economics from the University of Malta...

More from Rachel Zammit Cutajar

Stefan Mifsud •

The REAL problem The problem seems to have many facets and perspectives from all parties. The minister wants the nurses back at work. The Union is standing firm because of past experiences with the government after they have lifted industrial action to have talks which never materialised. The patients want an efficient, professionally run service of care for which all of us have been paying through our noses to have. Please do not forget that the last hike in the VAT rate of 3% was to ensure that we will have a sustainable and professional health care service. At the end of the day, what the union is saying is that even if they return to work the shortage of nurses is so acute that they have much earlier declared that they consider themselves not responsible (which apparently is within our laws) for patient care because they cannot abide by this standard because of this shortage of nursing staff. May I at this stage then ask. Who is legally responsible now for this standard of care? The government has not even reacted to this declaration by the nurses union. So the problem has been long in the coming and the Ministry should have seen that industrial action was written on the wall? What have they been doing? Not nothing. But unfortunately the wheels of our over manned bureaucracy has to justify its existence by creating unnecessary levels of management and supervision (sic), meaningless controls, reams and reams of paperwork etc to justify their very existence. What in the private sector is done by one person, in the public sector we have from 5 to 10 doing it. And I must say doing it inefficiently. Again why? I think the answer to that question is very obvious. I have personally walked in too many government departments which should be manned by ten people but only one is present. While the other nine are out on personal errands, doing private personal work etc. That is the crux of the problem in my opinion. I am certain that if the Union would see at least a small percentage of the effort which they input to keep the service going while it is understaffed, is matched by a bureaucracy which is overstaffed, a solution could quickly be found. Unfortunately this will not happen. The powers that be are advised, cajoled and "regulated" by the same bureaucracy who wants to continue to do things at its own pace, inexistent benchmarks and according to standards which are only applicable to Joe Citizen and not to them. So, as much as the Minister wants to put things right for the patients and the nurses he just does not have the necessary tools to get the job done. His very expensive blunt and almost useless tools are nothing more then same inefficient, overmanned bureaucracy that is really running the show in this country. And who will go to great lengths not to have their features ruffled. Even at the cost of the patients.

•

Minister Cassar of all the cabinet you are one of the very few who seems level headed and show some sincerety in your charge. Being humble is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strenght in reason, therefore you should approach the talks with MUMN without imposing any demands and I am sure those on the otherside would recognize your good intentions and would act accordingly. Don't be foolish and go down, when the time comes, with the stigma of the rest of your party, that is, of ARROGANCE.

Health Minister insists MUMN suspends directives

Health Minister Joe Cassar said the industrial action taken by the MUMN must be lifted and after the union asked for talks without suspending directives.