Joseph Muscat yesterday defended his decision to grant special permission to parliamentary secretary for the elderly Franco Mercieca to continue his practise as an eye surgeon.
I felt he should be given permission to carry out some limited work so that patients do not suffer
This “limited waiver” granted to Mr Mercieca breaches the Code of Ethics for members of Cabinet, which the Government is currently reviewing.
Dr Muscat yesterday told the press that Mr Mercieca was the only Cabinet member granted this special concession due to the limited supply of surgeons with his specialisation.
“He is not an architect or a lawyer,” said Dr Muscat, stressing that this decision was taken in the interests of patients.
Dr Muscat said his Government believed in “common sense” and there was nothing wrong with Mr Mercieca practising on a limited basis. “Mr Mercieca has specialisations that few people in our country have and I felt he should be given permission to carry out some limited work so that patients do not suffer... at least until there are enough people specialised in this area,” Dr Muscat said.
Asked whether the code of ethics was of no importance to him, Dr Muscat pointed out that in his first Cabinet meeting he had called for the code to be updated for today’s needs. The Times reported yesterday that Mr Mercieca had been granted “a limited waiver” by the Prime Minister to work as an ophthalmic surgeon.
Mr Mercieca defended his actions, saying he was the only ophthalmic surgeon specialising in cornea and anterior segment surgery. He added that he was not being paid for medical services rendered in the public hospital but received remuneration for private practice.
However, the Nationalist Party insisted that this “dangerous precedent” should cease immediately and the situation remedied as soon as possible.
The PN accused the Government of going against the promises made in Opposition, sidelining transparency and good governance.
“The code of ethics is not there to quote when it suits you. Nor is it there to be hidden so that you can take decisions behind the people’s backs without any valid reason,” the PN said. It added that those who accept executive roles take an oath binding them to absolute and total dedication to public service.
Referring to this situation as “scandalous”, the PN said the parliamentary secretary was inevitably going to spend less time focused on his primary responsibility.