Doctors threaten ‘hard-hitting’ industrial action

Doctors are gearing up for hard-hitting industrial action unless issues with both the University and the Health Division are resolved in the coming week.

Medical Association of Malta (MAM) president Martin Balzan told The Sunday Times: “We will issue significant directives across the health service and University.”

He would not reveal what directives were in the pipeline, only saying that the law required doctors to provide emergency service.

The association has criticised the health division for not honouring part of the November 2007 collective agreement which promised promotions for designate consultants.

“Once you block the top tiers, you are telling young doctors that there is no future for them,” he said.

Dr Balzan said there were bureaucratic delays for promotions in other grades, and although the health authorities had secured the funds to appoint higher and basic specialist trainees, these posts had not yet been published.

The other dispute was with the University, which, according to Dr Balzan, was not recognising doctors’ contribution to the education of medical students.

In fact, he said, earlier this year the University started considering doctors who lectured on a part-time basis as visiting lecturers, stripping them of a vote for the University council and senate and not allowing them to vote for the head of their own department.

Moreover, consultants were livid that the clinical training they gave to medical students, who follow the treatment of patients, was unpaid.

Although the health division said doctors were already paid for their hours in hospital, Dr Balzan said: “We are paid to treat patients. Teaching is another service and needs to be remunerated accordingly.” He said a small number of doctors were being paid for this service, leading to an unfair situation.

Dr Balzan said despite these problems the University authorities were refusing to meet with the association, saying that it was not the recognised union on campus, even though it represented the 300-odd doctors who delivered lectures.

The University has refused to comment although a spokesman confirmed that MAM was not one of its recognised unions. “As there are several stakeholders involved in this issue, including the University’s recognised unions – the Malta Union of Teachers and the University of Malta Academic Staff Association – and the health division, the University does not think it appropriate to make any statement at the present time,” a spokesman said.

Questions sent to the Health Parliamentary Secretariat yesterday were not answered.