The Health Ministry and the nurses’ union have put aside their differences and agreed to come up with a common manpower plan for Malta’s hospitals.
In an attempt to ease the problem of the shortage of nurses, among other things, the Malta Union for Nurses and Midwives and the Ministry decided to revise their individual manpower plans for the state hospitals to find common ground.
“Our manpower plans didn’t match,” Health Minister Joe Cassar said in a press conference yesterday.
The two sides had been at loggerheads for a while over the nurses’ shortage and union directives in the summer months, with MUMN president Paul Pace accusing Health Minister Joe Cassar of lacking leadership.
During the press conference, ministry permanent secretary Kenneth Grech presented the union with a letter which listed all the points agreed upon between the two.
Under a new management plan, nurses will be spread out more evenly in departments with urgent needs, such as Accident and Emergency. Nurses will specifically focus on people on stretchers in the corridors, which will be given priority over certain admissions, for example.
Dr Cassar pointed out that there were a number of disagreements between the government and the union earlier this year.
Only two months ago, the nurses’ union suspended controversial directives to, among other things, walk out of Mount Carmel Hospital wards in case of a blackout and not to pick up medicines from its pharmacy. The directives were described by the government as “illegal” and “irresponsible”. However, they were called off by the union at the last minute, following a meeting with the ministry.
Speaking during the press conference, Dr Cassar insisted all forms of industrial disputes could be resolved through dialogue. “Dialogue and goodwill are vital and today’s meeting should be an example to other unions,” he said.
In a series of eight meetings, the two parties managed to go through all the key issues that were the cause of problems and disputes.
“We looked at auditing, manpower plans and protocols which have to be in place – the patient should never suffer,” Dr Cassar said.
However, Dr Cassar said he was not going to impose a deadline for the new manpower plan. “No timeframes should be set where patients are involved.”
MUMN president Paul Pace said they both decided to address their problems after the last “small earthquake”. “People thought we had a grudge against the ministry but there was nothing personal between us,” he said.
Mr Pace explained that the local market of nurses was exhausted especially after the back-to-work retirement scheme launched in 2007. However, the shortage should be eased through a large number of foreign nurses who had applied in an open tender, he said.
Speaking about the shortage, Dr Cassar said the problem was a big one but not the only one.
“I find it more worrying that 70 per cent of people turn up at emergency by driving there, parking and walking in – especially since of these only 12 per cent would be have been referred,” he said.
This was not good practice, especially since there were three health clinics that were always open and private doctors to visit. “Everyone has to work for a better service – we all have to pull the same rope,” Dr Cassar said.