The nurses’ union has ordered industrial action after it learnt the Health Ministry was halting dermatology outpatient services on Sundays.
In a strongly-worded statement, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses accused the ministry of “bulldozing” its way over nurses and was taking decisions behind their backs.
In a statement, MUMN president Paul Pace said this decision, which will come into force in November once the migration to the new oncology hospital starts, was the result of the strategic business unit (SBU) which began operating at Boffa Hospital. He said that as from Thursday, nurses working in the dermatology outpatients are to be placed in wards, with no service in the outpatients.
“This directive will only be lifted after a ministerial assurance in writing that these nurses would be allowed to continue to give a service to their patients on Sundays as on week days. Financial cuts cannot be done at the expense of the patients who need the service,” he said.
“The Health Minister decided to give an appetiser of the strategic business unit at Boffa Hospital since God only knows what further bad news is to follow for nurses and midwives working at Boffa and Mater Dei hospitals. This is the same unit which the Health Minister guaranteed to all nurses and midwives will not change,” he said in a strongly-worded statement.
He said Boffa Hospital was a “smooth-running hospital” which was being used as a “guinea pig” of this new unit.
As a result, nurses working in dermatology outpatients will be stopped from rendering a service to their patients suffering from wounds and other ailments on Sundays. These nurses will also lose their Sunday allowance.
“This is the new taste of the SBU which will definitely be used in Mater Dei Hospital. This is the ‘new’ way of doing management which the Health Minister would like to introduce. Today Boffa dermatology nurses, tomorrow some other group of nurses or midwives will be used as a scapegoat,” Mr Pace said.
He accused the Health Minister of destroying and demotivating an entire hospital by several unjustified actions, rendering a hospital into “a battleground”.
Questions sent to the Health Ministry for a reaction to Mr Pace’s claims remained unanswered.