Doctors' job plans approved 'on eve' of election

Work plans for this year submitted by Malta and Gozo's 175-odd consultants were only approved by the government a day before the European Parliament election, six months after they were submitted, The Times has been told.

According to a spokesman for the Health Parliamentary Secretariat, all job plans were "formally approved" on Friday and letters of approval would be posted to the consultants in the coming days.

A collective agreement signed between the government and health authorities in November 2007, which saw doctors getting a big pay rise, also stipulated that consultants would submit job plans stating how they would be distributing their work throughout the week.

The job plans indicate how many hours a week consultants dedicate to outpatient appointments, surgery and wards. They also include the doctors' targets for the year.

The collective agreement covering the years 2008-2012 had envisaged the start of afternoon sessions in hospital in a bid to cut waiting lists and doubling the salaries of consultants who forfeit private practice and worked solely in the public sector.

However, according to the president of the Medical Association of Malta, Martin Balzan, job plans submitted by five of the seven Gozitan consultants for last year had not been approved, leaving the doctors operating according to old work practices and without the promised pay-rise.

Asked about this, the parliamentary secretariat spokesman said the problem revolved around the consultants' accountability because they were administratively accountable to the Gozo Ministry.

"It is a small number of consultants and quantification of arrears has to be counterbalanced with what was already paid to these consultants in terms of the old contractual obligations," he said.

On the other hand, consultants working in Malta started working according to their job plans last year. The job plans are submitted and reviewed annually and allow an extent of flexibility in the consultant's timetable.