Nurses refuse administrative work

More than 100 nurses at eight medical wards in St Luke's Hospital stopped carrying out administrative work from yesterday following a directive by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses.

The union said it had resorted to action after it had repeatedly asked the Health Division, without success, to take measures to avoid patient overcrowding of wards and for support staff to be provided to handle administrative duties which were currently being done by nurses.

"Patients are being put in corridors, lacking every form of privacy, and this is leading to bad feeling between patients and their relatives on one side and nurses on the other.

"Medical wards which were meant to accommodate 30 patients are catering for between 45 and 50," the union's general secretary, Colin Galea said yesterday.

Mr Galea said that if no action was taken by the Health Division in the coming week the union would issue further directives to its members.