A week after it was revealed Health Department selection boards appointed four unqualified medical consultants, the government has succumbed to pressure to publish the names of those responsible.
The move came hot on the heels of a declaration by Nationalist MP Franco Debono who questioned on his blog whether Health Minister Joe Cassar should be disciplined as the one responsible.
The Health Ministry originally said it could not reveal the names for legal restrictions, however, the Data Protection Commissioner thought otherwise.
In a detailed explanation issued yesterday afternoon, the Health Ministry began by decrying the issue’s “politicisation” by Labour and then reluctantly proceeded to name all board members.
The board to select a consultant surgeon specialising in hepato pancreato biliary surgery was chaired by Godfrey Laferla and included Mark Schembri, Clem Imrie and Andrew Xuereb.
Another tasked with selecting a consultant surgeon specialising in lower gastrointestinal surgery was chaired by Mr Laferla with Kevin Cassar, David J. Galloway and Mr Xuereb as members.
Both boards recommended appointing the candidate who came first in the selection process but no appointments were made.
The third board for a specialist in upper gastrointestinal surgery was chaired by Mr Laferla and included Dennis Gatt, Chris Russell and Mr Xuereb, but no recommendation was made as no candidate was selected.
The fourth selected an ophthalmic consultant surgeon specialising in anterior segment surgery and glaucoma.
It was chaired by Thomas Fenech and its members were Wagih Aclimandos, Jan Janula and Franco Mercieca, a Labour Party general election candidate. In this case, the first candidate chosen was appointed but was subsequently withdrawn. The candidate had not worked as a consultant in Malta.
Difficulties in the selection process was not due to corruption, as the opposition implied, but due to conflicting clauses in various regulations, the ministry said.
The boards interpreted the various clauses as best they could but discussions were subsequently held with the Public Service Commission, the Health Department and the Medical Association of Malta to revise the clauses so the calls for applications could be reissued.
The Attorney General was also consulted. The process was “totally transparent” and scrutinised by the PSC, the government insisted.
The Nationalist Party pointed out there was a Labour candidate on one of the boards about which Labour leader Joseph Muscat made false and serious accusations.
The PN said the Health Ministry’s statement disproved Labour’s allegations but challenged Dr Muscat to take action against Dr Mercieca if he was so convinced of his claims.
In response, Dr Mercieca said he had raised the issue of ineligibility of one candidate since he was not on the specialist register.
“But the chairman reiterated that the list of candidates to be interviewed was issued by the PSC and we were obliged to assess these candidates and grade them according to their qualifications and abilities,” he said.
Labour said Dr Mercieca’s declaration put paid to the PN’s spin that was intended to cover up another scandal and the Health Minister should take responsibility.
Labour added this was Dr Cassar’s attempt to make people forget that one specialist was married to Education Minister Dolores Cristina’s daughter.