Occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions for children have been cancelled. Photo: Shutterstock

Ten healthcare professions are following directives issued by the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin that are disrupting patient appointments and hitting treatment.

Speech language pathologists, podiatrists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dental hygienists, dental technologists, audiologists, radiographers, medical laboratory scientists and optometrists are taking industrial action after the union crossed swords with the Health Ministry.

Patients such as Diane Depasquale’s 10-year-old daughter is one of those affected by the action, which has set back her therapy. The girl, who suffers from the brain condition Dandy-Walker Syndrome, undergoes occupational therapy sessions at the Child Development Assessment Unit (CDAU) but these have been cancelled and no alternate date has been given.

“I have just been told that her appointment was cancelled but I was not given an alternative date. Granted, my daughter is not an urgent case. She has a session once every three weeks but now she will end up going without any therapy for over a month,” Ms Depasquale said.

“It’s been extremely beneficial for her and we’ve seen great improvement in the last three years. She has learnt to use her hands and to button her clothes.

No one should ever jeopardise the benefits given to those who really need them

“I understand the need to strike. But unlike the HSBC strike, we can’t just choose to use another bank. No one should ever jeopardise the benefits given to those who really need them.”

UĦM health services secretary Gian Paul Gauci said speech language pathologists were not doing any follow-up appointments on non-urgent cases such as speech impairments. Podiatrists were not viewing new cases, conducting dermatology treatments or viewing routine care and nail problems.

‘It’s so frustrating, my son needs as much help as he can possibly get’

Physiotherapists were not doing ward rounds, family training sessions and conferences (where a multidisciplinary team assembles to discuss a patient’s care plan).

Occupational therapists were also not conducting ward rounds, and family training sessions or student supervisions.

Dental hygienists have stopped community work such as visiting schools while dental technologists were not making the castings of prosthetic impressions.

Audiologists were not really following any directives, Mr Gauci said, because there was only one professional who was only seeing emergency patients because he could not do otherwise.

Radiographers were not sending e-mails and not using their pagers (mobile phones) unless they were on call.

Medical laboratory scientists were not supervising university students and were also following a work-to-rule directive, doing no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract.

Similar to audiologists, optometrists were only viewing emergency cases because they could not manage otherwise.

Mr Gauci said the directives were issued because the 2013 collective agreement, as well as a set of other minor agreements signed by the Health Department last year, had not yet been implemented.

UĦM took issue over the lack of consultation regarding the privatisation of departments as well as the failure to engage further professionals.

Prior to the directives, UĦM had met the ministry on a number of occasions to solve the pending issues, Mr Gauci said.

“During some of the meetings the ministry confirmed in writing that several of these issues had been solved. However, nothing was implemented. Adding insult to injury, these solutions were withdrawn by the ministry even though there was a written agreement with UĦM.

“It is also to be noted that before stepping up action, UĦM had notified the ministry of such specific directives one week before, giving it ample time to take all necessary action required.”

UĦM, he added, was always open to discussion to solve the pending issues so it could suspend all actions.

The directives first kicked in some three weeks ago but it is only now that most patients have started to feel the brunt.

A mother, who preferred to go unnamed, is forking out money for her 20-month-old son to attend private physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions after his appointments at the CDAU were cancelled.

“My son’s physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions are held once a week and once every two weeks respectively.

“Yet we have not been given any replacement date. It’s very frustrating. My son needs as much help as he can possibly get and we can’t afford to miss multiple sessions.”

In a statement, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses urged the government and the UĦM to resolve the matter in everyone’s interest.

The MUMN also referred to the industrial action taken by paramedic aides, appealing for a solution since hundreds of patients at the primary healthcare department were having their appointments cancelled since only emergency blood samples were being taken.

Nurses at primary health centres have, for these past few weeks, been employing systems so that all patients could have their blood samples processed within laboratories, the MUMN said.

Questions sent to the government about the UĦM directives were not answered by the time of going to print.