Specialised nurses will be able to administer some medicines without a doctor’s prescription when patients are being rushed to hospital, according to a new agreement between the Government and the nurses’ union.
Earlier this year, the union had insisted that nurses needed to be allowed to administer lifesaving medicine to provide better care to patients in emergencies.
Health Minister Joe Cassar said yesterday that the Government and the union had reached an agreement that addressed some pre-hospital care challenges, including administering medicine during pre-hospital care.
Acknowledging the nurses’ “important role in the health sector”, Dr Cassar said the agreement would see the drawing up of a list stipulating which drugs could be administered outside of Mater Dei Hospital, such as on ambulances.
The agreement also provides for the deployment of additional pre-hospital care nurses.
When next year’s batch of nursing students graduate, the number of pre-hospital care nurses for every shift will increase by one and this will be repeated the year after.
The number of trained nurses will, therefore, increase from the present 10 to 15 next year and to 20 the year after.
It was also agreed that all the pre-hospital care medical personnel will be covered by insurance.