Pharmacists at Mater Dei Hospital may step up industrial action next week if the management does not employ four pharmacy technicians to help out with the workload.

Over the past two weeks, the hospital pharmacy’s waiting room was closed earlier than usual following directives by the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, which is claiming that pharmacy staff cannot cope with the workload.

It met the hospital management yesterday to try and find a solution to the problem.

UĦM health sector representative Joe Bonello said the management agreed to employ six new pharmacy technicians and send four of them to the Mater Dei pharmacy. The union gave the management one week to employ the new staff or else it could step up industrial action.

The pharmacy usually stops allowing people into the waiting room – that accommodates about 45 people – at 1 p.m. so that staff would have time to serve them and clock off at 2.30 p.m. However, due to the workload, the staff often ended up leaving at 4 p.m., Mr Bonello said.

The union had long been asking the health authorities to recruit more pharmacists and, recently, an additional six were employed. However, he said, some time later four experienced pharmacists were transferred without the union being informed and without giving proper training to the new recruits.

Mr Bonello explained that the hospital pharmacy was very busy and experience allowed pharmacists to be faster and more confident.

He said the UĦM had requested a meeting with the health authorities to find a solution but had not received a reply. Thus, two weeks ago, the union ordered pharmacists to start closing the waiting room doors at 12.30 p.m.

Since the situation remained the same, the doors were yesterday closed at 11.30 a.m. They will continue being closed at that time until the new workers are employed.

A spokesman for the Health Ministry said efforts were being made to find a solution.