The Prime Minister has given his full support to Health Minister Joe Cassar, less than 24 hours after a call for his resignation by the nurses union after Dr Cassar failed to mention nurses at a seminar focusing on doctors.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi told him to “keep up the good work” in a phone call yesterday morning, Dr Cassar said in a programme on party-owned Radio 101.
Earlier in the day, Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses president Paul Pace said Dr Cassar “deserves to resign” after a speech which “clearly shows the utter neglect of grievances suffered by nurses and midwives during their line of work”.
Mr Pace was referring to a speech given by Dr Cassar on Monday at a conference organised by the Medical Association of Malta called Caring For Doctors.
Even the Medical Association of Malta defended Dr Cassar, thanking him for his participation at the conference and for his support.
The association restricted the conference to medical practitioners, out of principles of ethical trade unionism, not to interfere with initiatives by other healthcare workers.
MAM “finds the criticism levelled at Dr Cassar and MAM as unjustified and uncalled for” and encouraged the nurses’ union leadership “to try and represent the high level of professionalism of their membership in their public statements”.
This statement and others such as that “condemning help to Libyan patients” did not do justice “to all those conscientious health care professionals and causes public embarrassment to the nursing profession with foreign invited international experts”, the medical association said.
In a statement issued yesterday morning, Mr Pace complained about Dr Cassar’s “lack of decency” in his “shameful speech” because he failed to make any reference to an agreement signed between the union and the authorities to set up an occupational health unit for all professionals and which had been neglected.
He requested an urgent meeting with Dr Cassar and said the union was prepared to issue directives to all nurses and midwives to protect them in view of this lack of appreciation by the minister.
However, Dr Cassar pointed out that he had referred to doctors because he was addressing a conference for doctors.
Dr Cassar said that had he been speaking at a conference for nurses, he would have addressed nurses and added that he appreciated text messages of support sent by nurses.
The Health Ministry said in a statement that Dr Cassar had spoken about nurses and issues relevant to nurses last May in the Malta International Council of Nurses Conference.
The ministry was not going to reply to the language used by Mr Pace out of respect to nurses and midwives and because it was not ethical.
Contrary to Mr Pace’s claims, the ministry and Dr Cassar always recognised the work of nurses, midwives and all those who worked in the medical profession, including employees who offered administrative support, the ministry said.