Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia says he will not go on a head-on collision with unions to address deficiencies at Mater Dei Hospital.

In the wake of John Dalli’s damning report on the state of its administration, the minister pledged to continue meeting unions “around the table”.

The Dalli report noted that, in the absence of proper management, unions believed they should be running the show at the hospital.

In a subsequent interview, Mater Dei CEO Joseph Caruana said unions often took their grievances directly to accommodating politicians, bypassing management.

Doctors are not too pleased with the Dalli report, which union chief Martin Balzan has described as “not balanced”.

The president of the Medical Association of Malta said doctors’ output since signing a collective agreement five years ago increased by 10 per cent annually. He lamented that this achievement was not recognised in the report.

The MUMN will issue its reaction this morning.

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