Ministry stops hospital staff food service

I suggest that another tender staff food service is allocated to a serious caterer. PLEASE dont see only the price of the tender but see the quality.The standards of the kitchen is also important.

Wasn't the mouse head an extra ingredient to make the salad more tasty?

@L.Galea my comment was not intended at the nurses who actually care, it was intended at those who go to work and do nothing but skivvy around all day, those who are giving a bad name to the hospital services , those for whom working during the administration of the political party that they dont support mean only one thing sabotage and don't tell me these are not there cause I will have to name names. Yes there are nurses who work hard I know but there are others and in good numbers who skivvy and pass the buck all day long,

I don't see why all this fuss about the llowance. Can not the hospital staff take a home made prepacked lunch with them to work?What's wrong with a hobza biz-zejt, salad (sans mouse!) and a carton of milk? besides being the healthiest food one can eat, they also avoid buying some junk from the same outlet that served mice heads. And what's more that comes to less than 7euro!

A monetary allowance is always a better idea than perks and not just in the case of food allowances to hospital employees.

One should also consider doing away with perks such as company and corporation cars plus fuel and giving out a monetary allowance to eligible employees instead. This would help reduce car fuel waste and traffic congestion as well as enhance road safety and air quality.

Casual observation shows that workers who have free company cars and fuel tend to use their cars even when they could just as effectively use public transport or walk. Besides, many such perk beneficiaries tend to leave the car engine running while waiting for somebody and/or queuing at a cash dispensing machine – even if this is against the law as well as a safety hazard - since the monetary cost of the wasted fuel does not seem to cross their minds because their own purses are not effected. Unfortunately, several people consider practically nothing else apart from their own money in their own pocket/bank account.

Ministers should consider this idea and not bow to pressure from car importers and car hire companies who presently rent out cars to government corporations and departments.

@MARK DALLI

She has her premium to cover for it!

Sad to note that unless hospital staff brings over food from home, this allowance will be spent at the hospital's cafe... which, surprise surprise... is run by the same caterer as the one dishing out the mouse's head into the vegetables!

Also, if I purchase, say a DVD player, which ends up malfunctioning after a few months, I will take my complaint to my local supplier... I don't care where the equipment came from or who supplied it to my reseller. I will not be referred to some factory in China, but rather expect my local supplier to replace the equipment. In the same way, govt. should disregard the foreign food supplier, because the people it contracted for the job were local. They should be held accountable, and in turn, if they choose to, the caterers should sue their supplier for damages.

The caterer is the same one that has the shop in hospital, its the same kitchen.So take care of the people who visit MDH and close this shop too.

Totally agree with Suzanne Buttigieg, when there is something wrong with a product the company usually finds out through their customers and they imediately take the product off the shelves and advise all customers who have already bought said product but are not aware of the issue through the media.

Customers who are made ill /traumatised /injured by said product recieve compensation.

The fact that the product hasn't been named leads me to believe that they only suspect this packet of frozen veg. to be the source and have mentioned it to distance blame from the catering company.

If they were a 100% sure said packet of frozen veg. was the source they would have named the product, or I hope they would have 'cause sometimes I have doubts about whether things are ever done in the correct way.

It was mentioned that the Catering company stopped any order of said product but did they inform this company of the actual reason. To be honest I think it was very irresponsible to mention said packet of frozen veg., when there is no proof, because most households have frozen veg in their fridge.

I would love to be in a Cabinet working with Messers Dalli & Gatt - many arguements no doubt,but they get down to a task and take a decisive decision.My view is that the time has come for all perks and priviliges to be nationwide eliminated.We have too many abuses in this country,in every Government Department,due to such perks & priviliges.There should be NO DRIVERS, NO OFFICIAL CARS for ANYONE,NO RESERVED PARKING AREAS except for RESIDENTS in their residential Town or Village,NO INVITATIONS TO ANY PARTIES OR RECEPTIONS and preferably NO PARTIES OR RECEPTIONS at ALL,especially in times like Christmas. Most of the Civil Service should be eliminated and if anyone is on a salary,then there should be excuse for telephones not to be answered or some idiotic secretary attempts by being too clever in being a ridiculous lier to please her Boss or whatever.This was a Step forward by Minister Dalli.People should give their day`s work,and if there is no time to eat,then DON`T EAT & WASTE TIME HAVING TO FREQUENT THE TOILET.MALTA BECOME EUROPEAN! ALPHA.

Mr Abela needs to read up on employment regulations. Staff who work long hours and cannot leave their place of work are always entitled to free food. Check with any Trade Union. And I really don't think the allowance will solve anything really. Where do you think the staff will be buying from? The nearest shops are near the University's old gate and it's not like the nurses can visit these places in their uniform. They'd have to change into casual clothes and back into their uniform once they get back to the ward. Adding that to the time they'd spend walking to the nearest restaurant theywouldn't have any time left to consume the food they buy out of the "allowance".

Dear Peter Bonnici I definitly agree with you. Before all we point our finger to the caterer I dont find it fair that the caterer should take the blame. I think more investigations should be done. If strict investigations are done I think something will come out and not just a mouse on a plate.

One question i would like to ask is whether the mouse head was cooked or not. If it was cooked it would make me quesy for a while but my angst would pass once I think of the many cambodians who have nothing more to eat than field mice. If it was a raw head it would worry me healthwise for a long time.

I never experienced a mouse in my food late but I did experience cockroaches in my mouth from a soft drinks bottle. I was so upset that I almost throttled the PR officer of the company concerned when he tried to soft talk me.

If I may add Jason Azzopardi together with John Dalli and Austin Gatt as the best trio of ministers. If only the others learn something from them. May I ask if the same company who caters hospital staff is the same who is responsible of taking away from the public the airport gallery...I just still cannot figure how something like this went unnoticed

Am I to understand that the caterer responsible for this mishap will be allowed to keep his two outlets in hospital? Instead of being thrown out this repeat abuser will now enjoy the custom of all hospital staff who will now have to buy their meals.

As things stand this same caterer enjoys a monopoly with a very lucrative market. There is no other food outlet within hospital or in the range of a kilometer (is it true that the same caterer also runs the university canteen?).

The prices charged are astronomical and the quality..... well judge for yourselves..

Austin Gatt and John Dalli are the best two ministers we have, who take action immediately on importanti issues.

The fact that the mouse was found in a salad in hospital should not be the issue. The mouse could have appeared in any restaurant's salad. It's the vegetable packing company mostly responsible for the food hygiene in this case. ....plus the guy who did the plating.
I would like to know which is the packing company to make sure I do not have any of their products in my freezer!

What you have to do Mr Abela is to work 70hrs a week for a pittance. There again, do not worry because every day more and more doctors/nurses are leaving the public health service to go and work in places where their contribution is truly valued.

good point mark. the incident could have traumatic consequnces on the nurse. I know I wouldn't trust any food cooked outside of my kitchen for a long time. the nagging thought that there could be something wrong with my pizza, burger or whatever would take a long time to wear off. is there a case of a lawsuit for psychological damage invoved?

Well done to the ministry!
Finally the food service is being stopped!

The food options at the canteen were not too inviting, neither the choices -
eg. for breakfast - after a 24hr shift, and another few hrs of work left - one had to chose between either a piece of cake or a stale sandwich or a glass of water/orange - what a choice! Then either tea/coffee.

In the evening, a sandwich is also given to night staff - always on the day of expiry!
I wonder how much the caterer is being paid for such a service!

I bring my own food to eat, more variety, tastier etc.
Allowance is a good compromise!

@victor vella
I am not a nurse and have nothing to do with hospital staff, but seeing the care that most nurses and staff give to the patients I feel that such comments are uncalled for.

What if it had been you who found the mouse's head in your salad?

EVERYONE IS SPEAKING ABOUT THE MATER DEI HOSPITAL AND THE MOUSE FOUND ON THE PLATE. HAS ANYONE CONSIDERED HOW THE NURSE IS? HOW IT WILL EFFECT THE NURSE . IS THE NURSE IN A STATE OF SHOCK? I WOULD BE IF I WAS IN THE NURSE PLACE. IS SHE GOING TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THIS ACCIDENT? EVERYONE IS SPEAKING ABOUT THE CANTEENS OWNER BUT NOTHING ABOUT THE POOR NURSE IS MENTIONED!!!!!!!!

if the product was imported,the best thing to do is to tell us the country fro which it was impoted from and its name, maybe we have some in our fridges.

dear mr Abela, simple just come to work at MDH, being Christmas nighr or New Year's Eve when all Malta is enjoying the festivities with their families, and us treating sick and terminally ill patients with love from our hearts & you might eat a roasted mouse for New Year lunch.

Lets hope that we dont see nurses and staff eating in the corridors, cooking in the ward or pilfering from food intended for patients, or better still have staff order more food then required so that the allowance is saved .More controls are what we need.

What do I have to do to find a mouse's head in my salad... and then get an allowance for my daily bread.

Well done to the ministry,

This was the most logical action to take. It will not only give the nurses the freedom to choose where to buy their lunch from but also save taxpayer money by eliminating the need to administer the purchase of food.