Health centre doctors may be instructed not to perform house visits from Monday, their union warned yesterday.

The issue is over the Health Ministry’s failure to condemn the “verbal abuse” that is sometimes directed against the doctors and to explain house visit policies to the public.

In a statement, the Medical Association of Malta expressed disappointment about what it described as one-sided media reports which condoned such unacceptable behaviour.

It said house visits were being requested when there was no medical indication they were necessary, and at times abusive language was being hurled at doctors.

The union said that it was unacceptable that on one side, health centres management asked doctors to prioritise house calls but then failed to defend them publicly. It also urged the ministry to explain the policy on house visits to the public rather than “foment unreasonable expectations”.

It was unacceptable health centres failed to defend doctors publicly

The policy states that house visit requests should be vetted by a general practitioner who will decide whether they are merited.

MAM noted there had been a big seasonal surge in walk-in visits to health centres and consequently there was bigger load on its members. It said house visits had to be screened for their urgency according to set guidelines, in order to manage health centres efficiently.