Podiatrists who completed their course just under a year ago have still not been employed in the public service, months after graduating.

Speaking to this newspaper on the condition of anonymity, one of the 10 podiatrists said that while they had completed their course at the University of Malta in May last year, they were still in the dark as to whether they would be employed in the public service or not.

“We completed our course in May and had our graduation ceremony in November. We were only called in for an interview last month after having received no feedback,” the podiatrist said.

She insisted that during the interview, the candidates were told that they would be informed whether they had been selected or not in two weeks’ time, yet, they have not been contacted still.

We cannot wait around twiddling our thumbs until we get the call

Podiatrists diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. On what they had been up to while they awaited the decision, the podiatrist said that some had sought employment in private clinics or homes for the elderly.

“We cannot wait around twiddling our thumbs until we get the call. Some of the podiatrists have even had to resort to seeking employment in different sectors,” the podiatrist said, adding that the group had been in touch with the UĦM Voice of the Workers in an attempt to resolve the issue but this, too, proved in vain.

Questions sent to the Health Ministry on the cause of this delay were not answered by the time of writing.

Last year, this newspaper reported that a group of midwives who had also recently graduated were still in the dark on their employment in the public service after bureaucracy stalled the process.