Hospital staff given allowance to buy own food
The health authorities have suspended the staff food service at Mater Dei Hospital after a nurse found the severed head of a mouse in her food but the government would not say whether the contractor would still be paid for the service.
"The management is acting according to the provisions of the contract," is all a spokesman for the Social Policy Ministry would say on this point.
The ministry said last night it has instructed the hospital authorities to suspend the canteen service and give staff an allowance to buy their food from elsewhere, instead.
An investigation has been launched into the incident, shortly after news broke out about the unsavoury addition to the nurse's menu on Tuesday. The nurse found the remains while eating in the staff canteen on Monday.
The president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, Paul Pace told The Times the union was "expecting action to be taken against the contractor and wants to know what safeguards will be taken in the future".
The Health Division said the hospital management took immediate action to launch investigations, with public health inspectors going on site to verify facts and drawing up the first reports.
The company operating the canteen, Papillon Caterers, still opened as usual in the afternoon. But there were no clients to feed, the sources said.
The company said it had destroyed all the stock furnished by a Belgian supplier and terminated all ties with him.
"The contractor is completely confident that the incident did not arise in-house," the Health Division said. It added that local health inspectors, who were checking at the canteen found the contractor and the kitchen to be up to scratch and complying with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) catering standards required by EU legislation. The canteen and kitchen also passed quality control.
Malta Health Care Caterers Ltd said yesterday it has nothing to do with food served to staff at Mater Dei Hospital.
The company said it caters for patients and not staff at Mater Dei, Sir Paul Boffa, Karen Grech and Zammit Clapp hospitals.
The management of Malta Health Care Caterers Ltd said it would like to put the public's mind at rest and assure it that their food satisfies all criteria.
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M Borg
Sep 6th 2008, 18:39
Public Service Clerks (of who there are thousands)in winter have to leave home at about 7.00am and return home at about 6.00pm. Furthermore, the Gozitan counterparts have to leave home at 5.00am to take the 5.30am ferry to begin work in Valletta at about 7.30.....and then return home at about 6.30pm.....are these long enough hours??!! As far as i know, no one of these clerks is given an allowance!
Same story....."ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS"
Brian Fenech
Sep 6th 2008, 13:54
if the head of a mouse was found in her plate... then... where is the rest of d mouse?? probably must have been consumed by other stuff members without even ralising!!
Was any bloodtest done to all the staff members who ate from the same batch of food??
M Bonello
Sep 6th 2008, 11:14
"May I ask why these employees are given free lunch (from our taxes) in the first place? Why don't they take a packed lunch like the rest of us?"
Because there are some people in that hospital working 36 hr shifts, every 2 days.... that means eating a packed lunch for breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast and lunch before going home, to come back the next morning to eat the same thing for the next 36hrs.
I think everybody agrees, that at least a hot meal should be provided.... well if that means eating mice... then that is another question...
Antoine Spiteri
Sep 6th 2008, 10:50
No Eric Theuma! Its a different contractor!
eric theuma
Sep 6th 2008, 10:28
Are the pataints getting their food from the same contractor. If they are doesn't it matter for the pataints?
D. A . Agius
Sep 5th 2008, 16:23
To T. Mallia
You can forget about that. Police and AFM don't have REAL unions and can't strike!
IF you're a member or a former member you can remember the measly bread bun that is given on some election day for your 16 hour (or more) shift looking after the door of some politician or some party club. First point: why the 16hour shift; second point: Why look after the door of a single individual (sometimes even a multi-convicted criminal!) while another few thousand honest citizens have no one to turn to?
T. Mallia
Sep 5th 2008, 12:27
I Fully agree with the government decision.
However will this allowance be given to other people who work shifts in the civil service, or are these just the few privileged people who are going to get it?
what about the AFM, the police, the detention services etc. Are they going to get similar allowances?
P THOMPSON
Sep 5th 2008, 10:37
In reply to D Vella - "did anyone ever find out what happened to the rest of the mouse". My guess is that the very excellent catering staff at Mater Dei would have shared it equally between their patients.
d. borg
Sep 5th 2008, 09:08
May I ask why these employees are given free lunch (from our taxes) in the first place? Why don't they take a packed lunch like the rest of us?
L BORG
Sep 4th 2008, 23:34
TO MR ANTOINE SPITERI
IN A FEW WORDS ONCE THE PACKET OF VEG HAS BEEN OPENED NO USE BLAMEING THE VEG PRODUCER
Maruska Agius
Sep 4th 2008, 23:31
@ Robert Cassar
Why can't you buy your own food from somewhere else? Or take your own food from home? St.Lukes Hospital and Mount Carmel Hospital were equipped with a microwave oven in every ward... guess Mater Dei, our great state of the ART hospital offers the same, so... a packet of cereal and milk for your breakfast, some packed lunch from home, like I take with me to the office, some fruits for snacks and some dinner to heat in a microwave... guess that 7€ would be more than enough!!
Joseph Mizzi
Sep 4th 2008, 21:36
Why should anyone worry that the head of a mouse was FOUND in the plate? I'm more concerned about the rest of the poor creature's body ... that's why I brought a packed lunch with me to work today!
DVella
Sep 4th 2008, 21:17
Just a thought . . . did anyone ever find out what happened to the rest of the mouse???
Denis A. Darmanin
Sep 4th 2008, 20:24
It seems that the same thing has happened very recently to a patient in Joensuu, eastern Finland, according to Reuters.
The origin of the frozen vegetables is given as Belgium.
Antoine Spiteri
Sep 4th 2008, 20:09
To Mr L Borg. I can say that I ve been working 30yrs in catering....but no one knows who am I so I can say the same.. So as a chef you should know especially with our climate... If you said the chef should be responsible so in same words the person serving the plate should be... and what if you dont see the worm? You resign??? or you tell your boss to close the Hotel!!!!????
C Caruana
Sep 4th 2008, 20:06
Reading the comments below it seems that the public in general is not aware of who is providing the emergency service in Mater Dei Hospital. Reading comments such as "those are the conditions which you accepted and for which you have quite a good remuneration" Do you know how much a doctor working with the NHS earn. A doctor who has been working in government hospitals for past 6 years currently is earning the misery of Lm3.15c per hour!!! Do you know this. Do these doctors have a choice??? They can either stay in Malta and provide the excellent service they are giving to the Maltese public or else leave the country as those 17 newly graduated doctors did this year! It is very disappointing as a doctor knowing that the public receiving our service think that we earning thousands of EURO a month. junior doctors are currently being forced to work around 56 to 90 hours per week and with shifts as long as 30 hours!!! Thanks for appreciating our stirling service!
L BORG
Sep 4th 2008, 19:36
TO MR ANTOINE SPITERI
I AM AWARE OF WHAT HAPPENED A FEW YEARS AGO AT A WEDDING AND EVEN KNOW WHO IS THE CATERER
AT THAT TIME ALL CHEFS AND KITCHEN STAFF WERE DISMISSED BY THE CATERER TO SHIFT THE BLAME ON THEM
HOWEVER THE CATERER IS AT THE END IS FINNALLY RESPONSIBLE AND A CHEFS JOB IS TO COOK NOT CHASE PESTS IN THE KITCHENS
ALSO MANY PLACES I WORKED WERE AWARE OF THE PEST PROBLEM BUT SOME OWNERS STILL REFUSEDTO SPEND MONEY ON PEST CONTROL
ALSO PESTS APPEAR MOSTLY AT NIGHT AND WHEN YOU PUT THE LIGHT ON YOU WILL THAN SEE THEM
L BORG
Sep 4th 2008, 19:15
TO MR ANTOINE VELLA
HAVING BEEN WORKING AS A CHEF IN MALTA FOR 25 YEARS I KNOW WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT
COCKROACHES RATS AND MICE ARE COMMON EVEN IN 5 STAR HOTELS
ALSO THE CHEF REMAINS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FOOD HE SERVES
I FIND ALOT OF WORMS AMONG FRESH VEG SO I SERVE IT AND BLAME THE MALTESE FARMERS?
YES PEOPLE THAT ARE NOT ITS QUALIFIED SHOULD NOT OWN OR WORK IN CATERING
Antoine Spiteri
Sep 4th 2008, 18:47
Dear Mr I Borg may I remind you... few years ago, a famous caterer during a wedding party had a problem with his food and half of the people ended up in hospital and he is still operating now adays... so please be careful what you write! All the caterers today should have their employees with The Health Certificate and ID.... I know what I am saying..
C.Bartolo
Sep 4th 2008, 18:47
Mr Grixti D'Amato, let's also compare wages and perks too while we're at it...?
Antoine Spiteri
Sep 4th 2008, 17:47
Dear Mr I Borg, think before you write!!!!!!!! I think more investigations has to be done...before saying things like you said. If we had to treate every catering establishment with same rule that you are saying especially those in festas... malta will end up with some less few restaurants..... I am not saying that the restaurants in malta are dirty.. but please no one knows what happens inside the kitchen of any establishment..and after all, the canteen was found spick and span!!! The caterer in my opinion is one of the last to be investigated... when all Malta knows that veg was imported. I think that the person responsible presenting the plate should take all the responsabilty!!!
victor vella
Sep 4th 2008, 17:37
are we the rest of the workers. most of us productivew ones and earning foriegn currency to the islands economy going to get a rebate of tax on 2492 euros? thats what you lot are getting it costs me less to eat out 2 times a day so stop nagging and thank the ever considerate goverment for it.
noel grixti d'amatp
Sep 4th 2008, 17:34
I think that their are more nurses than doctors @ MDH. moreover, these work on 12 hours shifts as other shift workers do around the island. Im one of those that work a 12 hours shift @ the airport and we arent given any allowance to eat!!! Besides this, we neither have a staff canteen and if you dont have time to make a packed lunch to take with you @ work, u have to fork out an average 20 euro to eat and refresh during the 12hr shift!!!
Can all shift workers be treated the same please????
l borg
Sep 4th 2008, 14:53
the caterer should be sued and no longer opperate in any catering outlet and the owner should face trail for negligence
and people wIthout TS DIPLOMAS should not have a business in catering
J Baldacchino
Sep 4th 2008, 14:12
@ R Farrugia
May I assure you that Iappreciate all the work you do with us as patients and on behalf of all, I THANK YOU wholeheartedly. But again the choice of your career was not capriciously imposed on you and the government does not force you to work shifts. This goes as part and parcel with the profession you have chosen on you own accord. Well, a parcel of initiatives, allowances ........ and much more.
I. M. Dingli
Sep 4th 2008, 14:11
@ RFarrugia
For your info I know more about the hospital than you think. I have worked there for 3 years before the official opening and still am a sub-contractor to date. Again for your info, you are moaning about Euro 7 that the government has given you as an allowance (immediate effect) while I have pending invoices for work which I have already done months ago and still didn’t get paid for whilst I had to buy equipment to do the work from my pocket. A lot of other sub-contractors have the same problem but these things never crop up.
Also, if you are a doctor (which I doubt), those are the conditions which you accepted and for which you have quite a good remuneration. I do appreciate the long hours which doctors are exposed to apart from the type of people which they have to face on a daily basis but every job on this world has got its pros and cons but at least you get your wage. Myself, I had to waver my wage for the past two months only because the government is practically leading me to bankruptcy.
Marianna Galea Xuereb
Sep 4th 2008, 14:00
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.
T. Mallia
Sep 4th 2008, 13:53
Sometimes I wonder of all civil service employees work under the same government?
with all due respect to the hospital staff. Police officers work shifts much worse than the hospital with some of them working as much as 60 hours per week (without getting paid for overtime) and not only do they not get any food allowance but many times they are left for 12 hour straight guarding the door of some spoilt big head who thinks he is in danger because someone yelled at him.
And don't let anyone tell you that its not true. Ask them about the SAG shift, the detention service police shift, the dog section shift and many more. These people work on a day, night ,rest shift (yes... without an off day) with each shift being 12 hours. On average this amounts to between 50 and 60 hours per week. They do not even get one cent for the extra hour. Where are the EU workers' rights?
It's about time that the government decides to reform the civil service conditions.
joanna jibiri
Sep 4th 2008, 13:44
hello of course they r responsible. they should check every item before they serve it. even if the head was in the veg. the person who opened the pkt and cooked it didn't see the head. and since they were the ones to serve it, that makes them responsible. if this had to happen in a small catering shop they would close it down straight away and not given the chance to blame anyone. and as usual here in malta big companies, people who have a name or money go scotch fee. corrupted country that's what we r.
L.Borg
Sep 4th 2008, 13:41
@ Rita Spiteri
Are you aware that young doctors (house men & SHOs) work straight 36 hours shifts for 2 to 3 times a week? I guess a snack won't be enough hux? PS they also work on Christmas, New year, public holidays, sundays.... so
RFarrugia
Sep 4th 2008, 13:21
@I. M. Dingli @ J Baldacchino
....perhaps it is because doctors are the only government workers forced to work shifts frequently in excess of 30 hours straddling weekends and public holidays, and without being paid overtime for the extra hours.
Next time you or your kin pay a visit to Mater Dei; perhaps in pain or fearing for your health; please keep in mind that the bleary eyed doctor on whom you now so much depend has probably been awake and at work since the day before; is having to work (i.e. put up with all sorts of abusive patients and relatives) for over 90 hours every week and all this for a pittance.
You might then appreciate that your well-being depends much on the self sacrifice and good will of a few who will care about you notwithstanding the hindrances that get thrown at them by their employer (or his contractors).
Rita Spiteri
Sep 4th 2008, 13:02
My daughter works 12 hour shifts (even on Christmas day if it's her turn) she doesn't get a food allawance and she takes a prepacked lunch from home. anyway who needs 3 meals in 12 hours a small snack will do in between? no wonder there are a lot of fatties in Malta.
J Baldacchino
Sep 4th 2008, 12:56
@ Robert Cassar
Pls shut up and thank the tax payer for the 7 euros. You are the only public servants receiving allowance for your lunch besides other generous allowances which are not available to other public serrvants.
Pierre Agius
Sep 4th 2008, 12:51
BUY MALTESE!!! I always do. We have excellent quality but we look down on it! We eat rubbish. God knows what goes into imported cheap pre-packed foods by discount stores. Cheap food means cheap ingreadients! My foreign friend stock on Made in Malta products and we hord cheap imported mass-produced, hormone grown and chemically watered processed food!
I. M. Dingli
Sep 4th 2008, 12:42
@ Robert Cassar
If I’m not mistaken you are only charged about Euro 70 on a yearly basis in order to be served food three times a day when you have a 12 hour shift so I believe that being given a Euro 7 allowance daily until the situation is resolved is quite fair.
Why do you have to go buy the food from a canteen? Can't you use the Euro 7 to buy something from a grocer before going to work like most of the workers elsewhere do?
Robert Cassar
Sep 4th 2008, 12:26
The allowance we are entitiled to is 7 euro.
2 questions:
How can somebody have lunch, breakfast and dinner on 7 euro.
There is only one place to spend the 7 euro - the same caterer......or are we supposed to leave the hospital to buy food?
v.vella
Sep 4th 2008, 11:30
good! the government is always inviting us to buy maltese now the hospital staff can buy some real food. made in malta fresh produce not pre packed frozen made in holland, bought in belgium heated and served in malta junk.
CM
Sep 4th 2008, 11:24
Doesnt it sound strange that on the day the mouse was found an inspection was ongoing? just asking! Maybe being too cynical!
P.Scicluna
Sep 4th 2008, 09:56
Well-done Johnny………..you are a real action man!!!!!! you mean business
It seems we are putting our eggs in one basket; we have only few professional caterers the rest are building contractors , with no food at heart but only food in stomach. Not easy to supply food to airline, Mater Dei, elderly homes, Zammit Clapp Boffa, Karin Grech, Weddings, Political parties etc. You have to be a superman. Lefts over’s fly from one place to the other. Lets avoid an inconvenience accident and revise what we are doing. I know well what I am saying because I see it every day.