Doctors' dispute erupts again

The temporary truce in the dispute over the shortage of doctors at health centres ended abruptly yesterday with the threat of more directives next week.

The medical association, headed by Martin Balzan, yesterday lashed out at Social Policy Minister John Dalli accusing him of not keeping his word and ignoring an agreement reached between the two on Monday night.

The association walked out on a meeting with Mr Dalli yesterday after he presented its officials with options to keep all the health centres open, including at night, using the current complement of 69 doctors.

This move was interpreted by Dr Balzan as the government going back on an agreement, through which health centre doctors will only man two out of the Gżira, Qormi, Rabat and Cospicua clinics in the afternoon.

The government was also asked to make every effort to keep all four health centres open, either by employing part-time doctors or subcontracting services to the private sector.

Mr Dalli came up with a plan to use the same amount of doctors at health centres and still meet the present demand.

The government had the right to draw up the rosters and work out the different services, Mr Dalli told a press conference. "We have to see what the demand for doctors is at certain hours and provide that service," he said.

The dispute revolves around a shortage of doctors, with Dr Balzan saying that about 40 full-time doctors were doing the work of 110, seeing over 520,000 cases in 2007 and saving the Maltese coffers more than €1.5 million in salaries.

Dr Balzan accused Mr Dalli of not honouring the agreement which, he said, included keeping the doctors' roster unchanged.

"If the rapport of trust between the employer, employee or union is lost, then it was very dangerous as it will leave unions in a continuous state of militancy," Dr Balzan said.

He insisted that Mr Dalli's figures were flawed and did not factor in emergencies that cropped up at night, that 20 doctors were trainees and that others were out on study leave.

He played a short clip taken from a conference on primary health care where the Director of Health, Dennis Vella Baldacchino had said that the eight health centres needed 110 doctors to offer a 24-hour service.

"Either the government sticks to the agreement or we will declare an industrial dispute again on Monday," Dr Balzan said. However, he refused to say what sort of directives will be issued.

Dr Balzan last week directed doctors working at the Qormi, Rabat and Cospicua health centres to report for work at other clinics as from this Monday while the Gżira health centre would only open until 1 p.m. However, the government decided to also close the Paola and Floriana health centres during the night.

The government and the medical association reached an agreement on Monday night brokered by Employment and Industrial Relations director Noel Vella.