Wednesday, 18th June 2008
Doctors' union challenges official brain drain figures
The brain drain among doctors is worse than figures released in Parliament last week show, the Medical Association of Malta insisted yesterday.
The MAM said 40 per cent of newly-graduated doctors will be leaving Malta this year and the country was running the risk of losing 30 other young doctors and 15 final-year students as from next month. In addition, 22 out of the 60 doctors who graduated last year have also left Malta, it added.
These figures do not tally with those given by Social Policy Minister John Dalli in Parliament last week. Figures released in reply to parliamentary questions show that 13 doctors left the island between 2003 and last year.
The doctors' union is insisting that 94 of the doctors who graduated in the period under review actually left the island. The figures, MAM president Martin Balzan pointed out, also include foreign students who graduated in Malta and did not work here, but their numbers were not substantial.
He pointed out that doctors who leave the island remain on the Medical Council's register, giving the false impression that they are still in Malta even though they do not work here.
The association voiced disappointment that the health authorities "failed to provide" Mr Dalli with the correct figures.
"There are indeed a significant number of young medical graduates who have continued to leave our shores and the figures quoted in Parliament clearly do not include doctors on emigration leave or on indefinite unpaid study leave," Dr Balzan said.
He said the association had already called on the Heath Division to improve the collection of data and ensure that doctors who have long left Malta do not continue to appear on the division's books.
When contacted, Dr Balzan said shortages of doctors were felt across the board in hospital. "We are definitely under in all departments," he said, adding that it was important for more doctors to decide to stay in Malta.
In a reaction to the MAM' comments, the ministry stuck to its figures. Mr Dalli was asked how many doctors graduated from the university in the past five years and are still employed within the public sector and how many renewed their Medical Council licence this year.
The ministry said the statistics include doctors who are on some form of leave because they still form part of the public sector. While the details given by the MAM were interesting, they were not relevant to the questions asked in Parliament, the ministry argued.
RSS
Comments
In surgery, that answer is ZERO!
So how can you expect young doctors to stay, when their prospects for career progression are negligilble??
Junior Doctors leave Malta because Professors are too busy with their Private Practice to have time to teach the Juniors
Professors also look at Junior Doctors as potential competitors in the future.
these are the problems!
The University and the Faculty of Medicine should have ensured post graduate training - but they have not, for obvious reasons.
We now need to establish an independent postgraduate unit and an independent Dean for Postgraduate Studies.
We will train Junior Doctors to the Highest EU levels
I certainly will be asking the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland on their visit this week - I am sure they will be willing to assist
Meanwhile you can count on the usual suspects - as they will resist any change that might reflect on their luxurious professional lifestyle.
We need to support the Junior Doctors to develop their skills and to guarantee them a proper structured training with a definite post at the end of their training.
Go for it Minister Dalli - the country will be behind you
Dr Frank Portelli MD FRCS(Ed)
All Maltese can feel the misery because of constant lack of medical professionals, especially at Mater Dei.
Many have to go abroad for medical treatment because of very long waiting lists, mainly due to shortages of medical staff, and now also because of lack of space at Mater Dejn!
I base my arguments on teachers who are professionals & amount to a huge population. In spite of the fact that abroad teachers receive much better salaries than in Malta, and inspite of the teaching stress that they frequently complain of, they still prefer to remain in Malta. Guess why?