Over 400 jobs advertised in two months

Over 400 vacancies at Mater Dei Hospital have been advertised in just over two months, a spokesman for the new hospital said.

Calls to fill vacancies in the grades of staff nurses, senior house officers, deputy nursing officers, health assistants, pharmacists, physiotherapists, midwives, clerks and receptionists were made by the Health Division, the Health Ministry, the Foundation for Medical Services and others responsible for public service recruitment.

The spokesman said the recruitment drive was aimed at addressing a number of shortages at St Luke's Hospital before the health services moved to Mater Dei.

He said the foundation had recently issued a call inviting firms providing secretarial services to provide 56 clerks and receptionists to perform general office, reception and ward clerical duties at St Luke's and Mater Dei.

"There will be no individual recruiting of clerical staff by the FMS or Mater Dei," he said, adding that the recruitment should ensure more efficiency and less interruption to the service. He said the staff would not be directly employed by the hospital, which would be contracting firms to provide the labour.

This means that it would not have to face leave or sick leave problems because the contractor would be bound to replace staff.

The spokesman said the new clerical staff should be in place before migration to Mater Dei and they will also operate at St Luke's for a number of weeks.

Earlier this week, the new president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, Paul Pace said the necessary support staff should be employed before migration took place.

Moreover, final-year nursing students are being given the opportunity to apply for nursing posts, with a number of conditions - including that they successfully complete their course - stipulated in the call for applications.