Nurses lament lack of respect

Nurses in Malta are not getting the respect that their counterparts enjoy in other countries, according to Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses president Rudolph Cini.

During a press conference yesterday, Mr Cini said decisions being taken at the moment were a throwback to the difficult period they faced around 20 years ago.

Referring to the reduction in the student stipend, he said it seemed that attracting young people to the nursing course was no longer important. Moreover, the Health Division was ignoring the union's proposal to develop primary care nursing.

Mr Cini said the absence of the local authorities from a World Heath Organisation meeting last week underlined the fact that the nursing and midwifery professions were not being given the attention they deserved.

He said locally nursing remained "the Cinderella of the health sector" even at a time when other countries were realising that it was the fulcrum of health care both in hospitals and within the community.

Speaking about an international conference to be held in Malta in 2011, Mr Cini said around 2,500 nurses from the 129 countries affiliated to the International Council of Nurses were expected to attend.

Mr Cini explained that apart from Malta, four other countries - Portugal, Poland, Uganda and Ghana - had submitted an application to host the conference.

The union president said it was a great honour for the local nursing profession to have such a conference organised in Malta.