New admissions ward remains closed

The hospital's new Medical Admissions Ward, which was expected to start operating yesterday, is likely to remain closed today as the Medical Association of Malta showed no intention of lifting its directive to doctors not to admit patients.

Ray Xerri, acting director general of health, said MAM had no right to get involved in an administrative process and did not rule out legal action by the health authorities.

The association issued the directives because it was not consulted over the move and because it believes that operating the new ward would require additional staff when human resources at the hospital are already stretched.

The issue is likely to be discussed today during a meeting with the hospital authorities on a different issue, MAM general secretary Martin Balzan said.

Speaking during a press conference yesterday afternoon, Dr Xerri said "the competent people" within the hospital had been consulted over the new ward.

Department of Medicine chairman Alfred Caruana Galizia said the lack of doctors should not have had a bearing on whether the new ward should open because the number of admissions would remain unchanged.

Hospital superintendent Frank Bartolo said that opening the ward would actually facilitate doctors' work since patients would be gathered in one place rather than be scattered in different wards.

Dr Balzan insisted, however, that solutions to the manpower problem needed to be found. Although there were a number of new graduates, there were few doctors at a decision-making level as well as a shortage of those manning the emergency services.

He said the new ward would be more labour intensive and there was a need for more experienced doctors. The problem of overcrowding could only be tackled by addressing the 80 or so social cases.