The Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry continues to insist that the government takes the necessary measures to ensure that Mater Dei Hospital is adequately resourced "so that the problems of the public sector are not shifted to the private sector", president Helga Ellul has told The Times Business.
The Chamber issued a strongly-worded statement saying it was "stunned" by suggestions made by Health Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar that relatives should care for convalescing patients at home so that badly-needed beds at Malta's central hospital would be vacated.
The proposal has even divided medical groups. While it won the Medical Association of Malta's public support, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has warned there were not enough nurses in the community to help families caring for relatives at home.
The Chamber remains open to discussions on this issue, but Mrs Ellul says that even if employers were to be compensated for costs incurred for absenteeism by caring relatives, the unquantifiable burdens on businesses also needed to be considered.
These, she explains, relate to the importance of the presence of key personnel at the workplace, efficiency issues to ensure a smooth operation, productivity, and critical linkages with other staff and clients, in the case of service providers.
"Employers can only plan around what is stipulated at law in terms of absenteeism," Mrs Ellul points out. "Any extra unplanned absences can only be detrimental to business. Any worsening of the situation is directly correlated to the situation of the bed shortage at Mater Dei Hospital. The Chamber must reiterate that the bed shortage is no fault of the public, nor of employers.
"As a matter of principle and beyond the figures, in the current circumstances, any extra cost, however small is not affordable. Business needs to be competitive on the international scale and cannot be burdened with costs that our competitors abroad do not face. Employers in Malta are already burdened with the utility tariffs which have not been reduced ever since the significant fall in international oil prices."
Social cases, particularly the elderly occupying hospital beds when they should be accommodated in nursing homes, is a problem Malta's main hospitals have struggled to solve.
Asked whether new public-private partnerships in the caring sector would be feasible to provide more affordable facilities for lower income brackets, Mrs Ellul said this business model translated into a win-win situation which benefitted the business community, the authorities, and the country.
"There are already many successful public-private partnerships in this regard and the Chamber believes more should be fostered. In fact, the Chamber would be more than happy to act as a catalyst to help more partnerships come to fruition," Mrs Ellul said.
The Chamber issued a strongly-worded statement saying it was "stunned" by suggestions made by Health Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar that relatives should care for convalescing patients at home so that badly-needed beds at Malta's central hospital would be vacated.
The proposal has even divided medical groups. While it won the Medical Association of Malta's public support, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has warned there were not enough nurses in the community to help families caring for relatives at home.
The Chamber remains open to discussions on this issue, but Mrs Ellul says that even if employers were to be compensated for costs incurred for absenteeism by caring relatives, the unquantifiable burdens on businesses also needed to be considered.
These, she explains, relate to the importance of the presence of key personnel at the workplace, efficiency issues to ensure a smooth operation, productivity, and critical linkages with other staff and clients, in the case of service providers.
"Employers can only plan around what is stipulated at law in terms of absenteeism," Mrs Ellul points out. "Any extra unplanned absences can only be detrimental to business. Any worsening of the situation is directly correlated to the situation of the bed shortage at Mater Dei Hospital. The Chamber must reiterate that the bed shortage is no fault of the public, nor of employers.
"As a matter of principle and beyond the figures, in the current circumstances, any extra cost, however small is not affordable. Business needs to be competitive on the international scale and cannot be burdened with costs that our competitors abroad do not face. Employers in Malta are already burdened with the utility tariffs which have not been reduced ever since the significant fall in international oil prices."
Social cases, particularly the elderly occupying hospital beds when they should be accommodated in nursing homes, is a problem Malta's main hospitals have struggled to solve.
Asked whether new public-private partnerships in the caring sector would be feasible to provide more affordable facilities for lower income brackets, Mrs Ellul said this business model translated into a win-win situation which benefitted the business community, the authorities, and the country.
"There are already many successful public-private partnerships in this regard and the Chamber believes more should be fostered. In fact, the Chamber would be more than happy to act as a catalyst to help more partnerships come to fruition," Mrs Ellul said.