The Malta Union of Nurses has requested the Health Department to investigate how nurses' reports are ending up in the hands of newspapers, in breach of regulations and the Data Protection Act.
The investigation was requested after the PN newspaper Il-Mument yesterday reported how a Labour councillor had allegedly assaulted a woman in a public hospital.
In his letter in English, MUMN President Paul Pace wrote:"I am referring to the recent episode which took place at an elderly ward in Mt. Carmel Hospital. The Sunday newspaper 'Il-Mument' actually published word by word in English the incident report written by the Nursing Officer. Later during the day, Net TV reported such incident on the evening news.
"This is not acceptable to MUMN since this clearly demonstrates that someone within the Health Department has a direct link with a political party, and when certain people are involved such incidents are being handed over to certain media for political propaganda purposes. This is not acceptable to MUMN where such nurses writing such reports are being quoted word by word and caught in a politically ball game while performing their duties.
"The same instances occurred in the past when a nurse had written an incident report where she alleged of being kicked by Mr. Anthony Zammit (Consultant Surgeon and a Member of Parliament) and once again such report was copied word by word in the same political newspaper.
"MUMN is requesting that in the latest incident, which took place last Sunday and which was reported prominently in the Nationalist Party media, a Board of Investigation would be set up within the next 24 hours to expose the person who is passing over such incident reports to the Nationalist Party. MUMN is informing you that if the union is not informed that such a Board of Investigation is not set up within the next 24 hours, and that an acceptable conclusion be given within 72 hours, MUMN will be holding your office and the Principle Permanent Secretary's office in breach of contempt and accomplish (accomplice) to what is taking place in the Health Department.
"For MUMN, an acceptable solution is by exposing the person who is flagrantly breaking the regulations of the data protection whilst working within the Health Department under your direct responsibilities. If MUMN's request is not met, MUMN will also be issuing directives to protect its members of being caught in these political maneuvers. Such directives will allow that every nurse/midwife will be given the right to refuse writing any incident report in the future even when requested by the nursing management or the Health Department. Unless such mole is thoroughly exposed, your office and any hospital management are not in a position to request any future incident reports.
"Your office is not in a position to guarantee that the regulations of data protection are followed unless such investigation comes up with the culprit who has a direct link with a political party. MUMN will also consider requesting the Commissioner of Data Protection to investigate such breach in data protection. This is a serious matter and MUMN will not accept that nurses and midwives are to be used as part of a political propaganda by any political party whilst performing duties which fall under the PSMC."
MEDIA.LINK REACTION
The PN's media house, Media.link in a statement said that instead of condemning the incident and commiting itself to work with the authorities to avoid a repetition, the MUMN had come out attacking whoever had revealed this abuse.
Media.Link said it was happy to have revealed what had happened, in the public interest.