Updated: Ministry denies nurses' claims on Gozo hospital
Claims by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses that the Gozo General Hospital was ‘unsafe’ have been condemned by the Gozo Ministry, which described the union’s attack as ‘unjust and irresponsible’.
In a statement this morning, the MUMN said there were not funds to pay nurses to maintain proper standards of care. One nurse had to nursw about 20 patients with the result that the service has become 'a third world service'.
The union said Gozitan nurses were doing their best but they are stressed and frustrated due to the shortage of nursing staff.
The situation, the union said, has been building for years, with nurses who left not being replaced. There were 17 vacant posts for nurses. There had also been restrictions on overtime.
The union also claimed that the Gozo hospital “is rat infested”, with no air exchanges in theatre and no proper funding to provide adequate staffing levels.
It also complained that chemotherapy was not administered in Gozo and warned that if no action was taken by July 13 on proper staffing levels it would have to consider 'other alternatives' to safe guard patient safety.
The union urged the public to avoid Gozo General Hospital and use Mater Dei "which is much better funded, has no rats running in corridors during the night, has better staffing levels, offers chemotherapy and has a better air conditioning system".
In its reply, the Gozo Ministry said that services and medical care given at the Gozo Hospital had increased in the past years and these conformed to the standards established in the health sector in Malta.
The government had also increased facilities and medical equipment and improved the infrastructure and environment with several halls being refurbished.
A Radiology Department was opened, reducing the need for patients to travel to Malta and a new bone density testing service is being launched in the coming days.
This will be following with the restructuring of the operation halls for where new and modern equipment had been bought.
New equipment for Gozo General Hospital.The ministry said that the number of nurses at the hospital was also going to be increase and discussions on this matter were being held regularly in the interest of patients.
The ministry insisted that services at the Gozo General Hospital were given in the most responsible and professional manner by all workers and it was not true that there were risks and dangers, as the MUMN alleged in its statement.
The ministry thanked all workers at the hospital for their dedicated service to the benefit of patients.
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31 Comments
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Eddy Privitera
Jul 7th 2012, 20:35
wHO IN HIS RIGHT MIND WILL EVER BELIEVE THAT THE GOZO MINISTER AND MINISTRY WILL EVER ADMIT TO ANYTHING GOING WRONG IN GOZO ??
JP Bajada
Jul 7th 2012, 07:47
I believe the allegation mentioned by MUMN. Unfortunately, earlier this year a family member was admitted to GGH and while I was visiting I was disgusted by the sorry state of the hospital, including poor lighting, holes and water leaks and stench of manure in the corridors. At one point I was questioning if I was in a dungeon rather than in the hosptial. Moreover one particular staff working in the wards had no clue of what people skills actually are. Shame! One cannot start comparing the medical facilities offered in Malta with those offered in Gozo. There is something very wrong with the system!!!!
Mr Mike Farrugia
Jul 6th 2012, 10:56
Chemo treatment costs hundreds of euros per 1ml. Providing it in Gozo would be a waste of money (unfortunately) as the rest of the vial would have to be discarded. At boffa, they pool a number of patients and use a number of vials without any waste. Not all patients need the same type of chemo.
Emanuel Muscat
Jul 6th 2012, 14:52
Are you stating that it is a waste of money if some hundreds of euros are spent in order to avoid the frustration a Gozitan patient needing chemo treatment ?
Gozo General Hospital, if well equipped, can easily cater for much more services than it is offering now a day. It can, by means of good investment, help to avoid/reduce the number of several waiting lists present today in Mater Dei Hospital.
m. borg (slm)
Jul 6th 2012, 19:54
What are you talking about, you know nothing about cancer treatment were not one patient is given the same medication as another but is personalised.
Why do people like talk about something they know nothing about simply to apologise for the incompetence of your party in government.
Now go lick an ice-cream.
M. Bezzina
Jul 7th 2012, 06:17
So you are saying thaqt by putting a surgeon at Gozo General Hospital is not worthed cos there will be few occasions to operate compared with Malta!!!!Does not make sense at all
Denis Pace
Jul 7th 2012, 10:24
It does not make sense to duplicate therapy facilities.
Unfortunately one has to travel to Malta, but it wont be very much longer than, say, travelling from BBugia to Mater Dei in the morning.
J Hili
Jul 6th 2012, 10:55
the worst hospital in the world !! roofs falling , the floor with holes ,dirty .... plenty of nurses nobody knows what they r doing ? never forget elderly man near me his face was covered in blood and he was asked to wait in the waiting room for at least an hour .. come on? plus ambulance drivers dont know the streets THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH and the most ridiculous thing is to call a landline number 21..etc in malta u ejja where in the world is using a landline number 119 ,112 etc this is emergency
Dominic Vella
Jul 6th 2012, 10:45
There are so many gozitan nurses working at Mater Dei! Surely they are willing to work on their island and not travel to Malta everyday. Some of my colleauges have been dreaming to work in Gozo for the last 10 years.
m. borg (slm)
Jul 6th 2012, 19:55
Tell them to vote PL if they want their wishes to come true.
mark borg
Jul 6th 2012, 23:25
@m.borg
TINSIEX LI IS SAHHA (BHALL KULL SERVIZZ IEHOR SOCJALI ) GRAZZI GHALL MLP U MINTOFF SUR BORG .......U IL PN TA DAK IZ ZMIEN JIVVOTA KONTRA FIL PARLAMENT .....
Mr C Camilleri
Jul 7th 2012, 10:43
@m. borg
Sur Borg, jekk inti daqshekk cert li PL se jkun hazin ivvutalu halli wara tigi tigri hawn tghid li kellek ragun. Jew inkella, ahjar minn hekk ghalaq halqek u tparlax fuq partit li ilu ma jkun fil-gvern ghax dawn l-ahhar 20 sena ! Ara u parla fuq PN ghax dawn hemm bhalissa. U nafu bizzejjed liema ministru qed imexxi Ghawdex !
H. Psaila
Jul 7th 2012, 10:45
Jekk MLP ghamel is-servizzi socjali, il-PN baqa issotnijhom u zied iktar servizzi. Mhux kif qallu tal PL li jekk jivvutaw lill-PN l'isptarijiet jigu bil-hlas, jew insejtu Sur Borg dan. Kemm kontu kontra Mater Dei intom, u issa xorta ghadkom tgergru ghalkemm ghandna sptar li jikkumpara ma pajjizi ohra. Insejtu meta Sant ridt jaghmel hlas fuq il-medicini jew inkella l'affarijiet li taghmlu intom tinsew.
J.C. Borg
Jul 6th 2012, 10:43
Personalment ma nemminx wahda milli tghid l-MUMN.
Mhux kulhadd jaf li l-agenda taghhom mhix tan-nurses u l-pazjenti, imma....??
Tliftu l-kredtu!
Anthony Grech
Jul 6th 2012, 11:17
@ JC Borg, I suggest that you go and have a look for yourself. While you are at it have also a look at the Mental Section of the same hospital, than you can comment as much as you want.
My only comment is that the Gozo General Hospital is now a disgusting glorified FIRST AID KIT. Gone are the days of such dedicated professionals as Surgeon Mr. Giovanni Pace and his team..
m. borg (slm)
Jul 6th 2012, 19:56
Imma ............. x'hiex sur JC Borg?
Frida Mifsud
Jul 6th 2012, 10:39
As Gozitans we are treated as second class citizens as we have always been.
SHAME on the state of the Gozo General Hospital. Can't find words to express the disgust there is.
Gozo may have produced many University students and BIG heads but.............once they get there..........what?! ......................... they leave to go and live in Malta............................... as by the way all our children are doing........ and I would suggest my children to do the same!
One day soon we will have- GOZO RETIREMENT ISLAND!
anthony sultana
Jul 6th 2012, 10:26
Gozo is back to the donky era.
MARK GRIMA
Jul 6th 2012, 10:18
Nurses??? Rats??? Funds???? What about the doctors we have in Gozo??? With every injury one will suffer can be critical, fatal or normal one, the only cure they will give you is PANADOLS!!!!! I injured myself in football and could not walk at all and went to check my injury Doctor said I should take Panadols!! Also when I injured my hand another Doctor said that it will pass automatically and when I went in Mated Dei they found that it was broken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is what one will find the GOZO GENERAL HOSPITAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
S Muscat
Jul 6th 2012, 10:16
Basta jigi Chris Said jahli hinu u paroli fil-vojt fuq it-tunnel. Imma xi haga importanti bhal l-isptar xejn!!! L-affarijiet hawn Malta jsiru biex nidru!!!
david debattista
Jul 6th 2012, 20:42
Well said Mr Muscat
S Muscat
Jul 6th 2012, 10:13
Ezatt Cassar u Fenech. Marsalforn ghamilna l-gnien u li hemm il-qbajjar abbandunat!!! U l-kruha li tiela z-zewwieqa haga ohra. Imma basta qed naghmlu xi haga halli jkollna fiex niftahru. Imbad xi haga tal- bzonn dik inhalluha jew memmx finanzi. Ghawdex tal-misthija!!!! Imbad nigu niftahru bl-Eco Gozo!!!!
M Cassar
Jul 6th 2012, 10:13
allahares jinqalalek bzonn ta sptar fnofs ta lejl...ghax xhin tidhol jghidulek stenna ftit halli ncemplu lit-tabib! It-tabib u tal-x-ray...u nofs l-istaff li suppost on duty jkunu reqdin id-dar. Unbelievable!!!! Jew jekk ikollok bzonn ta city scan it-tabib jghidlek...mur kellem ftit lil Govanna....ma nafx tibdiex tidhaq jew tibki!!!!
Tghid hemm bzonn nghaddu xi vot ta sfiducja fil-Ministru tas-sahha...ghax messu ilu li nduna bin-nuqqasijiet li hemm fl-isptat ta'Ghawdex! Negligenza...apatija...ecc
Danika Vella
Jul 6th 2012, 20:05
mentalita ghawdxija, f'kelma wahda...
Lawrence Fenech
Jul 6th 2012, 09:58
Ghawdex ilu sejjer lura bhal granci, dan is-sajf kien eccezzjonali l-aktar il-wied li jghati ghal-Malsalforn fejn qatt ma tnaddaf qiesu rubbish dump immisu jghagti pjacier lil-ghan tarah u taht il-bridge farsa ohra.
GL Calleja
Jul 6th 2012, 16:07
Dak jonqos mil-Gvern ta Ghawdex Sur Fenech. Ghax ma tistaqsix lil Honorabli Regina Debono ta Ghawdex? Imma ftakar ukoll li Ghawdex ghanda l-ahjar serviz tal-buses u l-ahjar drivers. Kemm ahna sbieh min jaf jarana.
M Cassar
Jul 6th 2012, 09:52
Ara stenbahtu!?!? Ghadkom ma ndunajtux li Ghawdex minsi? Sptar iqazzek, mahmug, u zgur li ma jaghtix dinjita lil pazjent. Flus biex nibnu Parlament u bridge to nowhere ghandna, izda biex nimmodernizzaw u nzommu l-isptar ta' Ghawdex fi stat tajjeb u accettabli ma ghandniex.
Danika Vella
Jul 6th 2012, 20:04
L-isptar mhux il-gvern izommu nadif ruhi, imma n-nies li juzawh / jahdmu fih. Tghidlix li cleaners m'hemmx!!
Jay Oatmon
Jul 6th 2012, 09:51
This should result in the Minister of Health being sacked for incompetence and lethargy - but what we will get is a feeble excuse pushing the blame onto others, and assurances that things are already improving!
Danika Vella
Jul 6th 2012, 20:04
Minister of Health? So what is the function of Giovanna Debono? She should be sacked, not the minister of health, as she is responsible for Gozo!
maria aquilina
Jul 6th 2012, 23:08
Kas ta veru ghawdex u l-ghawdxin minsijin.Trid tara biex temmen.
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