The nurses’ union has declared an industrial dispute at the Gozo General Hospital over carers in a ward for the elderly.

The Health Department allowed the shortage to increase over the past 18 months and more than 20 carers “are needed to fill the long existing vacancies in a small hospital”, the Malta Union of Nurses and Midwives said.

It said the shortages resulted when certain carers were transferred to security or given other duties without being replaced.

The health authority’s commitment to hire more carers “never materialised”. While nurses were transferred from Malta to Gozo hospital three times under the new government, carers were never recruited at Gozo General Hospital and patients Sant’Anna ward were suffering, the union said.

Setting an October 10 deadline, it warned that, if more carers were not provided, all nurses at Gozo hospital would stop doing extra work and concentrate only on their responsibilities.