Malta risks building new health facilities with no nurses to staff them, the nurses' union warned this morning. 

The MUMN council published a set of proposals to be introduced in the health, elderly and community sectors to address the problem of nurses' shortage.

In a statement this morning, it called for a specialisation framework for nurses, midwives and physiotherapists to be established especially the one for nurses and midwives whose draft was finalised a year ago.

Student Nurses should be given a choice before they initiate their course either to sign a contract that would enable them to earn the minimum wage and be bound for three years or through the current system where they earn a stipend but with no contract.

The MUMN called for an early retirement scheme for 25 years for nurses to avoid stress and burnout where these two factors are common throughout this profession.

Social workers employed within the public service and the Foundation for Medical Studies should be given the attention they deserve.

It said a diploma to degree course for nurses should be introduced and nurses who successfully graduated in community nursing should be more involved in the care provided in communities.