Cardiac services chairman Alex Manchè. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Splitting cardiac services at Mater Dei Hospital would be akin to forcing a happily married couple to separate but work together, according to chairman Alex Manchè.

“That is exactly how it feels. We are one unit. We don’t have to negotiate anything with one another. We work together,” the respected cardiothoracic surgeon said.

Earlier this month, the unit’s former chairman Albert Fenech filed a judicial protest requesting the Health Minister to halt the process of separating Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology, which had been incorporated into one department 19 years ago.

Prof. Fenech, a cardiologist, argued in his judicial protest against the minister that the separation would have a detrimental impact on patients’ health.

In 1995, Prof. Fenech had assumed charge of the Cardiology Department, at the same time that Mr Manchè had been put in charge of Cardiac Surgery.

I don’t see any advantage of splitting a unit which works very well together

Because of administrative and coordination issues which impacted patients, it was decided, after a few years, to merge the departments into a Department for Cardiac Services.

Prof. Fenech chaired this department until retirement. He was replaced by Mr Manchè following a selection process.

Both men insist that nine out of 11 consultants in the department oppose the split.

“I chair a unit that works very well, and I don’t see any advantage of splitting a unit which works very well together,” Mr Manchè said.

‘Nobody flagged the advantages’

“No one who has proposed this split has told us what the advantages are. We have put forward several disadvantages which I think Prof. Fenech has indicated in his judicial protest,” he added.

The split was revealed in the Government Gazette last month when an application for chairman of the Cardiology Department was published.

A Health Ministry spokesman said the department needed to address “more aggressively” the pending medical cardiology waiting list and organise the inventory of the “costly” medical cardiology devices held within this section.

He pointed out that more than 80 per cent of all cardiac healthcare services fell within the remit of the “medical field” (cardiology) in this speciality. The rest was surgical.

“The creation of a medical chair will definitely help to coordinate more effectively the mentioned two challenges and address the shortages in human resources.”

While affirming confidence in Mr Manchè, the ministry spokes­man said most institutions of high reputation inter­nationally have a medical cardiology consultant as a chair.

“May we point out that in the past, the neurology speciality at Mater Dei Hospital was divided into two chairs: a neuroscience chair and a chair of neurosurgery with no negative consequences,” the spokesman said.

“It is also pertinent to point out that there are many specialities at Mater Dei Hospital that are addressed by both medical and surgical chairs, again with no negative consequences,” he added.