Ambulance drivers were yesterday ordered not to tend to emergency calls unless accompanied by a nurse and doctor until a board of inquiry investigated claims of discrimination.

The dispute revolves around a claim that ambulance drivers at St Luke's Hospital were favoured at the expense of those employed at Mater Dei Hospital.

The Social Policy Ministry said it could not understand why industrial action was being taken when the only outcome was hardship for patients.

It added that union officials had participated in a meeting to solve the points raised.

It appealed to the public to call ambulances only when absolutely necessary.

The Health Department apologised to the public and called for its cooperation.

It also hoped that common sense would prevail.

The president of the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, Gejtu Tanti told a news conference held in front of Mater Dei yesterday, that on March 13 the union had held a four-hour long meeting with Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and Health Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar and set several deadlines to resolve different disputes they had. None of them were met, he said.

The actions follow a threat on Monday by the Malta Unions of Midwives and Nurses to call a strike among nurses working in operating theatres. The surgery standstill was averted after their main request to have nurses supplied with protective gowns was temporarily met.

Union general secretary Gejtu Vella said the government was sleeping over the health sector, commenting that more energy was dedicated to inaugurating the new hospital than looking after the staff.

The union tried to solve the pending problems because it did not want to endanger patients' lives, he said. However, given the government's inertia, it was forced to order action.

Since 2006, the union registered several industrial disputes with the health sector in relation to dentistry, paramedic aids and the lack of parking at Mater Dei for medical support staff, the secretary of the union's health section, Joe Bonello, said.

On one issue an agreement was possibly round the corner. The union was promised that by May 20 paramedic aides would be given a one-off allowance of €1,500, as stipulated in a collective agreement signed in July. Hopefully, the government would keep its promise, Mr Tanti said.

Nursing aides and other care workers, however, were still waiting for the promised €11,000 allowance they should have received by the end of March, Mr Tanti said.

The union also has an ongoing dispute with the hospital authorities because nurses and paramedic aids who worked the required 10 hours a day were still not given food allowance.