The nurses' union has lifted its directive prohibiting members from treating a cancer patient at Boffa Hospital following a meeting with the Health Division.

The unscheduled meeting took place on Thursday, the same day an article appeared in The Times quoting Stephen Brincat, chairman of the hospital's Oncology Department, condemning the directive as "totally immoral and outrageous".

The directive was issued after a nurse was transferred to another ward without a hearing following an argument between a patient with advanced cancer and a nurse - the nurse alleged he was verbally and physically abused, while the patient claimed he was threatened.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses agreed to lift the directive, which started on Monday and included a blanket boycott on the hospital's medical administrator, once the nurse in question was returned to his ward.

Paul Pace, union president, said there will now be two internal investigations: One to look into the incident between the patient and the nurse, and the other into how the hospital management handled the situation.

"Contrary to what John Cachia (director general health services) said, there have been similar cases where staff were kept in the ward. There are no hard and fast rules on this," he said.

Mr Pace also expressed his annoyance at Prof. Brincat's remarks that the "union was putting nurses in an impossible situation" by ordering the "unethical directive".

"It was the nurses themselves who proposed we take such action. As a union, we don't pressure them. They unanimously voted for such action and it was 100-per-cent followed," he said.

Asked why the union had not issued a press release announcing the directive, Mr Pace defended the move saying they did not publicise the union's actions when the case was low-key.