Cynthia Busuttil
Doctors' action to shut three health centres
Half of Malta's health centres will be shut down indefinitely from next Monday under a new directive called by the doctors' union yesterday. In a meeting held late in the evening, the Medical Association of Malta decided to call on doctors working at the Rabat, Qormi and Cospicua health centres to report for work at other clinics, in a bid to ease the shortage of doctors.
This means that these clinics will have to close down. Under the same directive, the Gżira clinic, one of the busiest in Malta, will only operate in the mornings.
In anticipation of the directive, the health authorities had told The Sunday Times that they were working on a contingency plan but this would not keep these health centres open if doctors failed to turn up.
The directives come as overstretched health centre doctors often end up at the receiving end of verbal and even physical abuse by patients who have to wait for a long time to see a doctor.
Association president Martin Balzan said health centre doctors had already approved the directives, with the council giving its seal of approval yesterday. He said doctors who would normally be on duty in one of the centres which will remain closed will be asked to work from another clinic. "We want to concentrate our resources to give a better service to the patient," he said. Today, the association is expected to register a dispute with the health authorities.
Doctors at the clinics are often on their own handling scores of patients, who in turn face long waiting times. The union has long been complaining that this is putting doctors in the line of fire.
Last November doctors working at health centres had threatened to strike if one more doctor ended up being abused. Their warning came after a medic working at the Paola health centre was punched in the face by a patient. Eight weeks earlier a security guard at the same clinic was allegedly manhandled by a patient's relative while a doctor was assaulted at the Qormi health centre last month.
Meanwhile, ambulance drivers yesterday started following industrial action and are not going out unless accompanied by medical staff. The Union Ħaddiema Magħ-qudin has threatened to stop the practice of accompanying patients home unless a solution to the impasse is found. 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.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
Petrol price up 6c
In Discussion
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Gozo tunnel could take 5-7 years to...
CABS remote controlled aircraft shot...
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Joseph Calleja condemns portrayal of...
Updated: Labour would give...
CABS drone shot down
Second group of migrants arrives
Adrian Vassallo in scathing...
5 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
M Borg
May 13th 2009, 08:53
Din hija irresponsabbilta min-naha tal-Union Tat-Tobba, u disrispett lejn il-pazjent. Hija wkoll ta' nuqqas ta' rispett lejn il-pazjent mid-Dipratiment tas-Sahha li naqas li jiehu azzjoni sabiex jipprotegi lic-cittadini ta' Malta (kemm tobba kif ukoll pazjenti).
Izda kieku kellna Union bis-sens, kienet tiehu attegjament differenti u minflok taghlaq il-Health Centres kienet titlob prezenza ta' Pulizija f'kull health Centre u titfa l-kont fuq id-Dipartiment Tas-Sahha.
B'hekk kienu jkomplu jinqdew il-pazjenti kif ukoll ikunu protetti t-tobba, ..... u ma jbati hadd!
Soluzzjoni facli li trid tkun espert sabiex tahsibha!!!!
Viva t-taxxi li nhallsu!
Paul Bonnici
May 13th 2009, 00:20
Malta must be the only country with ambulance drivers who do not have medical training. Why can't Malta copy the UK ambulance service?
Steven Brockwell
May 12th 2009, 20:11
don't blame them i wounder how far back their wages have gone too. so in the lime light what is this government doing nearly every union or professional body this year has contested what gonzi is doing wake up Malta its voting time again?? facts are facts smiles did work not ant more
c.camilleri
May 12th 2009, 15:53
Can anyone explain to me who is running this country? Are they the elected representatives of the people or the unions who represents only their members. From my own experience as a worker i always held the impression that workers take orders from their Management and not from the union. Or has Govt also renegaded on this. Govt soft attitude with the unions have evoked the wrath of everyone.
Mario Tabone-Vassallo
May 12th 2009, 14:01
Tassew jiddispjacini u naghder id-diffikultajiet tat-tobba fic-Centri Tas-Sahha. Dmir li wiehed jirrifletti li l-pazjenti li mhux ser jaraw huma waqt l-gheluq tac-centri, aktarx imorru d-Dipartiment tal-Emergenza fl-Isptar Mater Dei. Tajjeb li wiehed ifakkar li dad-Dipartiment tal-Emergenza ghandu hafna tobba neqsin minn numru li suppost jahdmu fih. Ghar minn hekk, il-parti l-kbira tat-tobba li hemm jahdmu fih ghadhom kemm lahqu; tajbin, herqana, izda ma ghandhomx l-esperjenza li fil-pajjizi avvanzati tal-Punent stmata b’bizzejjed biex jahdmu f’dipartiment tal-emergenza. Biex tghaxxaqha, il-pazenti tassew serji, sew minhabba mard, kif ukoll vjolenza u korriment, kollha jmorru fid-Dipartiment tal-Emergenza u mhux fic-Centri Tas-Sahha. Ma nistghux nippruvaw nghattu x-xemx bl-gharbiel.