Retired cardiologist and Nationalist MP Albert Fenech has temporarily won an injunction to stop the division of Mater Dei Hospital’s Cardiac Services Department into two departments.

Prof. Fenech filed the injunction against Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia to halt the process to separate the Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology departments.

He had been one of the consultants behind the amalgamation of the two departments 19 years ago.

Prof. Fenech is insisting that the split would have adverse repercussions on the patients and is not based on sound medical practice.

He said that in 1995 he had been put in charge of the Cardiac Surgery Department, at the same time that Prof. Alex Manché had been put in charge of the Cardiology Department.

Due to administrative and coordination issues which had impacted patients, it was decided to merge the departments into a Department for Cardiac Services, of which he was made chairman until he reached retirement age.

He was then succeeded by Prof. Manché following a selection process. In November, the government published a call for applications for chairman of the Cardiology Department, which according to Prof. Fenech proves that the Health Ministry was planning to again split the Cardiac Services Department.

Nine of 11 consultants working in cardiology are opposing this decision on grounds it would have a negative and detrimental impact on patients’ health.

The application for the injunction was filed before Mr Justice Joseph Micallef, who temporarily upheld it and appointed the case for hearing on Thursday.

Lawyers Andrew Borg Cardona and Jason Azzopardi signed the writ.