The MUMN has instructed nurses not to submit the required 'covering letter' to be able to take particular drugs from the hospital pharmacy to their wards but only to use the standard form.

In a statement the union complained that its efforts to reduce bureaucracy had been in vain and nurses were wasting their time writing covering letters and chasing doctors to sign forms. 

"Covering letters are worthless pieces of paper which nurses and midwives in all government hospitals have to fill just to get drugs to their ward from pharmacy so they can administer such drugs to their patients," the union said.

"A huge amount of paperwork has been imposed on the nurses and midwives since hundreds of drugs have been put on a special register. For every drug and for every patient, nurses and midwives have to fill up more and more forms...chase doctors for their signatures and then attend to pharmacy several times just to bring a tablet or an injection on their ward to give it to their patients.

"The irony is that nurses have to chase doctors for their signatures for such drugs ...At most times doctors do not know what they are actually signing for since doctors do not only memorise all their patients under their care and cannot remember every drug they prescribe to their patients."

The union said that while in the rest of the world the pharmacist goes to the wards, stocking the wards with the necessary drugs so that nurses and midwives can administer them to their patients, in Malta, nurses and midwives are made to fill numerous forms per patients, then chase doctors for their signature, then attend pharmacy for numerous times so that hopefully nurses and midwives can supply the necessary drug to their patients. 

It said that after its attempts to resolve the situation failed, as from November 1 nurses would not submit covering letters and they would not be able to administer those drugs which which pharmacists do not provide to the wards.