The Medical Association of Malta this morning urged the health ministry to issue the posts for trainees at health centres as soon as possible following a Court of Appeal decision regarding a call for general practitioner trainees.

In a statement this morning, MAM said the court confirmed previous decisions by the civil court, and a ruling of the public service commission.

The court, MAM said, confirmed that eligibility criteria for medical posts in the government service must be according to the collective agreement between MAM and the government, and that selection boards must follow the principle of merit before seniority.

It also confirmed that a call requesting two separate lists according to seniority went against that principle listed in the collective agreement which was legally binding and that the Health Division at the time could not have issued such a call.

The court also confirmed that MAM was right to protest with the public service commission, as the collective agreement had not been respected, even if this eventually led to legal action by a handful of members who benefitted from this mistake.

The association noted that this litigation had unfortunately has left the public service at the health centres without 24 new trainees over two years. It urged the government to rectify the urgent need for doctors in primary health care, which was seriously affecting the service.