Paula Vassallo updated her Twitter profile to include the post of director, health promotion and disease prevention.

Health Minister Chris Fearne has insisted the new head of the disease prevention unit – a dental surgeon – is “amply qualified” for the job, despite criticism.

He was reacting to a news item that appeared in this newspaper saying that the person earmarked to be named director of health promotion and disease prevention was not a qualified medical doctor.

In a judicial protest, the Medical Association of Malta said the responsibilities tied to the position in question could only be carried out by a medical doctor.

To perform such tasks without a medical warrant was in breach of the Health Care Professions Act and so could expose the candidate to criminal proceedings, the doctors’ union warned.

According to the law, “no one can practise a healthcare profession unless they fulfil the conditions for the taking up of that task”.

MAM general secretary Martin Balzan said the director would be responsible, among other things, for minimising the number of deaths on the island from infectious diseases and making plans in the eventuality of any major epidemics and other outbreaks.

The appointee would also have to draft policies on communicable diseases, go on site in case of an epidemic, see patients and evaluate the situation, Dr Balzan said.

This and several other tasks required experience as a medical doctor

This and several other tasks required experience as a medical doctor, he added.

In reaction, a spokeswoman for Mr Fearne said the call for applications did not lay down that applicants had to be medical doctors. This, she added, was also the case in 2013, when requirements were for “a first degree in a healthcare-related profession”.

The Times of Malta is informed that the selected applicant is dental surgeon Paula Vassallo. She will succeed Charmaine Gauci, who will be taking up a new position within the office of the Superintendent of Public Health.

Dr Vassallo has served as a dental public health consultant since 2004.

Attempts to contact her yesterday were unsuccessful.

Mr Fearne’s spokeswoman was adamant that Dr Vassallo was fully qualified to hold the position.

She said that a meeting had been scheduled between Mr Fearne and the MAM for early next week to discuss this and other issues.