The MUMN has called off a scheduled meeting with the Minister of Health after the Health Department over the weekend invited nurses in the primary sector to work in new wards at Karin Grech Hospital.

In a statement, the nurses' union said it was never consulted about the offer, and this decision was further proof of the panic of a department which has lost all vision for the health sector.

It also warned that moving nurses from the primary health sector would further deplete this area of medical care. 

The MUMN said another 'irrational decision' to increase the beds in Mater Dei Hospital was how the hospital management decided to add inpatients  not just in area two in the E & A Department but now also in area one, thus considerably adding to the  work of the nurses in the E & A Department who also have to manage ambulances call, emergency service in the same department.

"But the pinnacle and the panic of such senseless decisions were taken over the week end, by requesting nurses working in the primary care, to leave their work place and to start working in Karen Grech Hospital on a voluntary basis. This caused shock waves among all primary care nurses since this clearly gave the false impression that nurses within primary care are over staffed or that the nation can do away from such service," the MUMN said.

"Such a decision is so disgusting that the Health Department itself was too embarrassed even to meet the union to discuss such an issue. This union was not only not consulted but was bombarded by nurses within the primary care, who were not only angry but also did not want to be part of such decisions taken by the Ministry of Health. No impact assessment was performed on which services were to close down within every health centre if such nurses were to have accepted the call of the Health Department.

The union also criticised the government for  applying pressure on nurses to accept more patients at St Vincent de Paule Home in violation of existing agreements.