Couple file protest against medical consultant

Mr. Richard Wismayer - Surgical Trainee

Jul 8th 2009, 17:25

Continued from Page 1

I have personally worked with Mr. Massimo Abela as a junior collegue and has always been caring for his patients, dedicated, hardworking with a good bedside manner.

I would therefore humbly ask Ms Dougall to withdraw the protest against Mr. Massimo Abela as this has clearly been due to a lack of communication.

Mr. Richard Wismayer
General Surgery Specialist Trainee

Mr. Richard Wismayer - Surgical Trainee

Jul 8th 2009, 17:22

Alternative medicine is one of the visible and fastest growing areas of healthcare. It is also well documented that patients are actively seeking and using a wide variety of alternative medicine therapies as with Ms. Dougall.

With the growth of complementary medicine therapies and patients' interest in them, in my opinion medical personnel worldwide should become more familiar in this field.
I am aware that in some parts of the United States medical schools have introduced complementary medicine in their medical curriculum as part of their Foundation (internship) programme.

Park a Medical educationalist in 2002 wrote "The exploration of alternative medicine topics in the medical school curriculum helps to sharpen skills for clinical decision-making, increases cultural sensitivity and provides ideas for future research".

In Malta like in many parts of the world alternative medicine is unregulated and therefore the decision taken by Mr. Massimo Abela to dismiss this treatment is ethically correct.

On the other hand, medical personnel have a right to respect the patients decision to seek alternative treatments.

Mr. Richard Wismayer
General Surgery Specialist Trainee

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Claris Galea

Jul 7th 2009, 23:33

From what I read ,I believe that Mr and Mrs Dougall did not have an appointment with Dr Massimo Abela and were only in hospital to have the plaster removed. What a cheek to approach a professional Consultant and tell him that a Chines Massues could be better .
Does Mrs Dougall believe that a bone fracture will be cured by a couple of needles stuck in her .......arm !
I have been treated by Dr Massimo Abela for a knee problem for some time and found him to be very polite and very professional , not to say the least .
I wish Dr Abela to keep up his good work and sterling service to the Maltese community .
Instead of filing a court case and depriving Malta of the doctors valuable time,she may have taken a second opinion and probably would have been advised to take some paracetamol and sleep on it !

M Bonello

Jul 5th 2009, 20:03

I'm not going in to the merit of the case but to my experience Mr Abela is one of the best ortho consultants we have in the island.

With regards to alternative medicine is that there are not enough evidence based studies to support its use. There are some indications in modern medicine for some therapies. Acupuncture for example can be used as an adjunct in therapy in chronic back pain, and sometimes even chronic UTI. However much more studies are required.

The problem arises when there are people who just go to some of these alternative medicine providers and believe whatever they say as bible. And take medicines/herbs that are supposed to cure things like cancer etc.

I once spoke to an alternative medicine provider, who claimed that lavender essential oil cured asthma and even influenza. When asked for the evidence the answer was simply it does from her experience.

Also the difference between herbal medicines and prescription medicines, is that prescription medicines are manufactured in factories to provide the exact amount of content. God knows what is put in herbal medicine

Dr Nicola Spiteri

Jul 5th 2009, 16:09

I am baffled by the fact that legal proceedings commenced against Consultant Dr Abela. From what has been reported here, (always according to the patient's allegations) this is a mere case of patient - doctor communication issues.

Arbitration to resolve the dispute or at most General Medical Council disciplinary hearings for alleged professional misconduct should have solved the issue straight away and remedied the party accordingly - although I do understand these are limited in redress.

Let us not contract the suing disease and understand the consequences of
litigation in such circumstances.

Dr. David James Camilleri

Jul 5th 2009, 11:15

Patients should choose between traditional medicine and alternative medicine, but my feeling is that they should always seek traditional medical advice to rule out nasty things.

I have had a couple of patients being followed up for some time by alternative medicine specialists for back pain, and they eventually turned out to have multiple myeloma (a type of bone marrow cancer) or another type of cancer that had spread to the bones.

With regards to Massimo, he has always been very professional in his approach with patients and I am sure he felt as if the patient was not following his advice. If he discharged her from clinic since he could offer her no more treatment, seeing she was seeking advice elsewhere, then I can't really blame him.

The patient on the other hand, rather than file a judicial protest should have maybe got a referral to a different orthopaedic surgeon and complained to the Hospital Patient Advice Liaison Services (if they have not already done that).

anne zahra

Jul 5th 2009, 09:53

I have been treated by Mr. Abela on a number of occasions, as have members of my family and friends. We have always found him kind, caring and above all honest in his opinions, and are grateful for that. If he reacted to this couple in this way I believe he is within his rights as they had chosen another practitioner whilst under his care, then dissatisfied, returned to him to sort out the damage, hardly ethical. I have every confidence in Mr. Abela and have no hesitation in continuing under his care.

celia debattista

Jul 5th 2009, 02:47

I have been Dr.Abela's patient for the last 9 months and can honestly say that he is one of the most approachable and professional consultants I have had the pleasure to know. It is a shame that his valuable time will be taken up defending himself against this bazaar accusation instead of getting on with what he does best and loves to do, he is compleetly dedicated to his work and patients.
We are privileged to have such a talented young surgeon working in our hospitals and clinics, I stand by Dr. Abela and back him 100% as I am sure all his many many other patients will.
Thank you Dr.Abela for treating us with respect and understanding.

Joe Fenech

Jul 4th 2009, 23:03

Dr Robert Camilleri :

"Doctors have the obligation to dissuade patients from being treated by unregulated alternative forms of care."

Accapuncture is unregulated??? Go back to uni - a proper one this time! I had a friend who spent years studying alternative medicine in the States and when she came back the government would not employ her for the same reasons you're giving here.

These are just protectionist strategies advocated by our local doctors who think they're so infallible!

Phyllis Calleja

Jul 4th 2009, 18:44

Phyllis Calleja (16 minutes ago)
After reading this article I felt really surprised and could not believe so I would like to say a few words about Mr Abela. My son had a very bad pain in his neck .After taking my son to 3 consultants.I decided to take him to Mr Abela & he promtly told me what was wrong with my son.Thank God now my son who is 30 years old knows what is wrong with his neck & not just stress!So me & my husband go to him for our pains & aches & he is always there welcoming us & makes us feel comfortable. To us he is one of the best orthopeadic consultant in Malta.I thank him on behalf of my family & myself

Victor Dingli

Jul 4th 2009, 18:34

I must admit that my wife and I were quite baffled after reading this article. Mr Abela has treated us both and not only very professionally but also humanely, patiently and treated as equals. As said earlier on we are getting only one side of the story, so we really cannot judge. Mr Abela keep your good work and professionalism up.

Victor Torpiano

Jul 4th 2009, 18:24

I too was cared for by Dr Abela. I could never see a trace of arrogance about him. Competence and professionalism yes, certainly.

Ivan Desira

Jul 4th 2009, 16:10

I'm a patient of Mr Massimo Abela,he make 4 operations in my leg,and he do a very good job.Now i'm feeling much better,thanks to him ! He's a proffesional and very kind and caring when he see me @mater dei hospital.
thanks
ivan desira

Miriam Ellul

Jul 4th 2009, 15:57

I think we are hearing only one side of the story. I worked with many surgeons and all of them have a caring character and are experts. Alternative medicine should not be mixed with medical treatment or surgery. I am not against alternative surgery ... but please let us be honest with ourselves ... before turning to this we should seek medical/surgical advise.
If I was the surgeon I would do the same! I would tell the patient it's either hospital treatment or alternative one... they don't go together. What if the alternative treatment results in damage? Then of course the patient will blame the surgeon!! In my opinion, he reacted like that, if he did react like that, because he felt that he's not trusted.
@ C.Gauci beauty therapsit .....
I think beauty therapists should change their attitude .... let doctors do their work please!! Therapists think that because they own a certificate (I have one as well) they can be experts in health! You're supposed to know what damage a wrongly made massage can do! Some therapists think they're doctors ..... NO WAY !!

Antonia Tabone

Jul 4th 2009, 08:00

Dr Massimo Abela is one of the finest surgeons we have on the island. He makes people feel at ease and shows competency of what he is doing. Something must have triggered him off to react this way, if he did. Dr Abela keep up the good work. We need surgeons like you.

Stephen Borg Cardona

Jul 4th 2009, 02:39

Patients should decide which doctor they want to go to and stick to him/her , it creates a lot of confusion when patients switch from one to another. Also they make the doctor who saw them in the first place feel that he is not trusted.

vanni sciriha

Jul 4th 2009, 01:23

I was also treated by Dr. Massimo Abela and definitely he's very gentle and caring.

gaetano zahra

Jul 3rd 2009, 23:54

i have been treated by mr abela on a number of times and found mr abela more then excellent in his profession. may we have more down to earth persons in the medical field as mr abela.

Dr Robert Camilleri

Jul 3rd 2009, 21:21

Mr Abela is a very competent surgeon and has excellent bedside manners. In the interest of the patients themselves, Doctors have the obligation to dissuade patients from being treated by unregulated alternative forms of care. Patients have all the right to prefer alternative forms of care as much as they have the right to refuse treatment but once they have taken that path they should not expect doctors to take responsibility for their care.

Jeremy Lanfranco

Jul 3rd 2009, 21:03

@ Anthony Magri

Acupuncture is a recognised and regulated profession in Malta regulated by the Council for Professions Complimentary to Medicine (CPCM). Code of Practice at the link below.

http://sahha.gov.mt/showdoc.aspx?id=84&filesource=4&file=COPAcupuncture.pdf

Anthony Magri

Jul 3rd 2009, 19:23

I think I noticed a board stating something like " Chinese medicine" in a coridor or at the entrance of a hall at Mater Dei Hospital.
So is Chinese medicine/treatment/acupuncture officially recognized?

Malvin Debono

Jul 3rd 2009, 18:03

With all due respect people I feel we're missing the point here. This issue is the fact that this doctor is allegedly refusing to treat a patient because she's used alternative medicine. Whether this medicine is effective or not is beside the point. What he is doing is ethically incorrect to say the least. And a lot of people seem to forget one very important thing here and that is that simply because healthcare is free in Malta does not mean that individuals are treated at the medical profession's pleasure. These are public servants paid out of public funds so they should do us a favour a cut the drama and get on with their work.

Robert Cuschieri

Jul 3rd 2009, 16:43

Just a small story about chinese alternative medicine.
A 42 year old lady was diagnosed with breast cancer and she was offered surgery and chemotherapy.
She went to one of these chinese clowns who told her that nothing is wrong and that all she needed was herbal medicine.
He treated her like this for a whole year.
She eventually got weaker and weaker and went back to her doctor. At that point it was too late and she died a couple of months later.
No official body to my knowledge has any control over these charlatans.
So people beware, you might be getting your treatment from a chinese chef.

Gianni Xuereb

Jul 3rd 2009, 16:41

Let me clear some points. I am not a doctor to start with, not even any of my close relatives. I don't know Dr Massimo Abela neither personally nor professionally. Having said that I am amused at all the grudge against the medical profession in your comments.

@sandro cremona: I don't know who mentioned pills in this case. Do you have anything against fixing a broken arm in plaster ? Do you think a Chinese masseur can do any better ? As regards studying it's called continuing eduction. You can never stop learning when you're in a profession like this, even when you're 70 years old!

@Deo Catania: "back in the '80s" you are mentioning the stone age. There were neglegent doctors back then and there are still neglegent ones around unfortunately. Doctors are not gods. It's not an easy profession and we must show respect.

My point is that many doctors are leaving this island simply because of patient arrogance and lack of respect. With this attitude we are just scaring doctors away. Only the good ones make it ti UK. What are we left with ?

sandro cremona

Jul 3rd 2009, 16:00

(Quote) Alternative medicine my foot. No problem.. no alternative.. keep swallowing pills for every minor ailment. If the mentioned doctor spent a lifetime studying.. then he had not achieved any experience yet.. come onnnn

Deo Catania

Jul 3rd 2009, 15:47

@Gianni Xuereb. For your info back in the '80s my aunt was to have her arm removed because according to Maltese doctors it was literally dead, someone referred her to Chinese therapy and her arm was cured back to normal. Did the doctors who decided to remove her arm have a right to be baffled and upset?

R. Agius

Jul 3rd 2009, 15:25

May I say that Mr. Massimo Abela is one of the best young surgeons on the islands. I would rather be treated by him than anyone else.

As already stated, I am sure that we are only hearing part of the story.

What could a chinese masswhatever possibly do to a fractured arm?! If anything he would make things worse. Common sense should prevail.

Jeremy Lanfranco

Jul 3rd 2009, 14:47

The attitude of many Maltese doctors against unconventional complimentary treatments has been a long standing issue locally. Treatment options are widely used in most other European countries and are not frowned upon by medical doctors in those countries.

This is why it is so important for these complimentary/alternative therapies to be regularised.
My concern is that there are many non-qualified therapists. Although I will not go into the merits of this case and by doing so I do not imply anything, non-qualified individuals give a bad name to other qualified similar professions. Regularization councils that do not exist in Malta for these complimentary therapy professions are mainly there to safeguard the interest of the client/patient.

In saying this, it is a legal right for any patient to choose the therapy of his/her choice if he/she feels that they could benefit from it.


The main objective of any treatment is to aid the patient and nothing else. This can be achieved by using the conventional approach and by other therapies....some of which may be more effective than conventional medicine.

Its about time that legislation is put into force to create this regulatory body.

C Gauci

Jul 3rd 2009, 14:44

I'm not refering to this particular case but as a beauty therapist I feel that the MALTESE doctors should change their attitude towards massage and other treatments. Abroad Doctors, masseures, beauty therapists and dermatologists work hand in hand.

Gianni Xuereb

Jul 3rd 2009, 14:07

Alternative medicine my foot. I wonder what a masseur has to do with fractures and their healing. These Chinese masseures think they have some supernatural power and can heal anything with their bulshit. The reality is that they don't know a sh**. Check their qualifications... do they have an O' level Biology ? I mean come onnnn.

Sorry Mrs. Dougall but Dr. Abela had all the right to be baffled and upset. I got upset myself when I read the article. You don't go to a carpenter to heal a broken arm. I can see it in your statement that you are giving more credit to the "Chinese masseur" than to the consultant who has spent a lifetime studying and doing real Medicine, not fake bulshit. The word "alternative medicine" you mentioned says it all.

James Borg

Jul 3rd 2009, 13:30

I'm sure that we're only hearing part of the whole story.

I had the opportunity to be treated by Mr Massimo Abela, and I must say that he is very nice and caring.