MAM insists government cannot shuffle doctors without discussion
The president of the Medical Association insisted this afternoon that health centre doctors could not be shifted from night to day duties, because of the emergencies which cropped up at night.
Dr Martin Balzan was reacting to a press conference by Social Policy Minister John Dalli who earlier today said there were enough doctors to man the health centres round the clock, but the doctors needed to be better deployed, especially in the morning (see separate story).
Dr Balzan said the minister’s figures ignored the fact that 20 of the doctors he had referred to were trainees. Nor did he factor in the night emergencies.
He said the MAM was insisting that the government should respect an agreement reached on Monday, which ended industrial action in three health centres. Any changes to the roster had to be discussed, he said.
Dr Balzan said that unless the government observed the agreement, the association would declare another dispute this Monday.
During the press conference, Dr Balzon played a sound bite by Dr Dennis Vella Baldacchino at a conference on primary health care during which he was heard saying the sector needed a complement of 110 doctors for health centres to provide a 24-hour service.
Mr Dalli had said in his press conference that there were 69 doctors.
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Edward Zammit
May 21st 2009, 23:34
Well said R.Gauci. Mr.Dalli should spend some time working at a health centre. I bet it won't take him long to change his mind about the number of doctors needed to man the clinics. Perhaps if we started to do the job of one instead of three, we might help him change his mind even quicker.
Andrew Cassar
May 21st 2009, 19:37
@Braden Sammut
What you suggest is already being done. All calls for posts are open to Maltese and EU citizens. But, as there is also a shortage of GPs in UK, any english-speaking EU GP would, naturally, go for a GBP75,000 yearly salary in the UK and not come to Malta. Therefore no EU doctors apply for such posts.
Currently at mater dei, most anaesthetists and many resident specialist surgeons and radiologists are in fact foreigners. Unfortunately, once again, no EU doctors are applying, as they can easily find better paid jobs in Germany and UK! The Czechs and Poles are abandoning us and we are having to make-do with poorly trained Russians and Ukranians.
So, MAM never had an issue with foreign doctors, except when these were paid much more and given tax breaks, while doing the same job as a maltese citizen! Thank God, nowadays, because of EU regulations the government can no longer discriminate in such a way.
Nadia Bilocca
May 21st 2009, 19:03
@ Braden Sammut
U jien nipproponi li ngibu ministri barranin forsi dawn jgharfu l-porblemi u jkunu kapaci jsolvuhom.
vincent magro
May 21st 2009, 19:01
Ghadni ma nistax nifham ezattament x'inhi l-oggezzjoni ta Martin Balzan ghall-proposta ta John Dalli biex it-tobba jkunu fil-klinici meta jkun hemm l-aktar bzonnhom. Huwa tajjeb jew hazin li t-tobba jaghtu servizz lill-pazjenti meta ma jkunx hemm pazjenti? Jekk kif qal Dr Balzan hemm ftiehim mal-gvern biex isir hekk, mela l-ftiehim hu hazin. Nahseb hawnekk qed inhawdu dwar x'inhu l-aktar importanti, jekk hux il-hin li fih jahdmu t-tobba, jew is-servizz tajjeb li ghandu jiehu l-pazjent, li li kieku ma kiienx dan ma kienx ikun hemm htiega tat-tobba. Jien nittaghma li Dr Balzan tkellem f'ismu biss, ghax jekk le ghandna problema kbira, mhux ta nuqqus ta tobba imma ta tobba li l-ghan tahhom hu il-gid tahhom u mhux tal-pazjent. Wiehed jghamel tajjeb li jtejjeb il-kundizzjonijiet tax-xoghol tieghu, imma mhux b'detriment ghal min qed jiehu s-servizz, li f'dal kas huma l-pazjenti. Bhalma fl-ekonomija hu kardinali l-principju tad "demand and supply" Hekk ukoll f'dal-kas il-principju ghandu jkun li s-servizz jinghata meta jkun hemm l-aktar bzonnu, ghax huwa l-bzonn li jiddetta l-procedura u mhux bil-maqlub.
R.Gauci
May 21st 2009, 18:56
Tobba baranin kapaci minn fejn se jgibhom bil-pagi li hemm Malta??
Jekk mhux se ssir riforma shiha fil-qasam tas-sahha bil-problemi se nibqaw mhux imbilli nibnu sptar 'state of the art' . It-tobba u nurses jaghmlu sptar!!
Nifhem li n-nefqa fuq is-sahha hija kbira u l-ebda gvern ma jista jlahhaq maghha jekk l-affarijiet jibqaw kif huma pero saru hafna zbalji!!
Meta se naghtu dritt lil min jaghmel assigurazzjoni fuq is-sahha li jkollhu tnaqqis mit-taxxa jew mis-sigurta socjali u b'hekk innaqsu mill-piz fuq ic-centri tas-sahha u li sptar Mater Dei? Din hi proposta wahda biss li tista issir! ! Hemm hafna iktar x'jista jsir basta ma nibqawx nibzaw ghal voti!!
Braden Sammut
May 21st 2009, 17:26
Jekk nipproponu li ngibu tobba barranin (basta jkunu kwalifikati bizzejjed u daqs il-maltin) sabiex insolvu l-problema, il-MAM x'tghid? (dejjem jekk hu possibli)