Health centres dispute resolved

A directive to doctors not to man half of Malta's health centres will be lifted this morning following an agreement reached between the government and the medical association last night.

However, the Gżira health centre will no longer operate during the night as a result of the agreement, which was brokered between the two sides by an intermediary - Employment and Industrial Relations director, Noel Vella.

Sources said health centre doctors will only man two out of the Gżira, Qormi, Rabat and Cospicua clinics in the afternoon after the directive is lifted at 8 a.m. However, the government will be making every effort to keep all four open either by employing part-time doctors or subcontracting services to the private sector.

The Paola, Mosta and Floriana clinics will continue to be manned by health centre doctors around the clock.

Contacted by The Times last night, Medical Association of Malta president Martin Balzan said "a reasonable compromise and a practical solution" had been found.

He added, however, that this was only a "stop-gap" solution and the two parties would continue discussing the way forward over the coming three months.

"A long-term solution can only be found through a primary health care reform that integrates government-provided services with private family doctors and private clinics," he said.

Sources said the agreement does not pose any restrictions on how the authorities decide to provide medical services when the clinics are not manned by health centre doctors.

Last Saturday the government announced a three-month arrangement with a private hospital to offer medical cover at night for patients affected by the directive but this was postponed by a week as a sign of goodwill.

But yesterday the association stuck to its guns and refused to withdraw its directive, which called on doctors working at the Qormi, Rabat and Cospicua health centres to report for work at other clinics, leaving those three unmanned by doctors. A doctor was only present at the Gżira health centre until 1 p.m. However, certain services, like dressing changes and blood pressure checks, continued being given by nurses.

In a letter sent to the association on Sunday evening and which was published yesterday, health care services director general John Cachia said the three-month agreement with Saint James Hospital had been postponed in the public interest to avoid undue hardships to patients. He said it was hoped that "MAM shows goodwill and suspends its directives" so that conciliation could take place.

Yesterday morning, the MAM lamented that doctors who followed the directives and reported for work in other health centres were originally not allowed to see patients, but this "intimidation" stopped after the association complained.

Nationalist MEP hopeful Frank Portelli, who runs a private hospital, yesterday expressed concern about the current situation. "Disputes involving the medical sector invariably hurt patients and, therefore, all sides should do their utmost to resolve these matters around a table, thus avoiding industrial action," he said.