No further industrial action by doctors is expected at least until the beginning of next week, when the Medical Association of Malta is set to meet the government over the transfer of three State hospitals to Steward Health Care.
Following a one-day strike on Tuesday, which the union said was supported in full by doctors at the hospitals affected by the privatisation, the MAM and the government are back at the discussion table.
The MAM resorted to industrial action in protest at the way St Luke’s, Karin Grech and the Gozo General hospitals were being transferred to Steward. Although it agreed in principle on a public-private-partnership for the hospitals, it believes management and leadership should remain in the hands of the government.
The government, it complained, gave its consent to the transfer without giving the association a six-week notice, in breach of their collective agreement.
Contacted following a meeting with the government yesterday afternoon, general secretary Martin Balzan said the MAM had presented a proposal in line with its principles.
“The government promised to evaluate it and we will have another meeting next week,” Dr Balzan said, adding he could not divulge more information about the proposal as it might compromise negotiations.
“If the discussions fail, we might consider any action we feel is appropriate. But there will be no further industrial action until the meeting at the beginning of next week.”
Before the meeting, Dr Balzan told the Times of Malta the MAM would continue to insist with the government that “short-term pain was better than long-term loss”.
“Our position hasn’t changed. We showed our strength and we are now back to negotiate. The need to repeat a strike in the future will be determined by the direction of the negotiations and there are also legal options,” Dr Balzan said, adding the MAM intended to exhaust “all options and leave no stone unturned”.
The MAM yesterday pointed out that during Tuesday’s industrial action, all doctors at the Gozo health centres, the Gozo general hospital, the Dermatology Department at Boffa Hospital, Karin Grech Hospital, and the Psychiatry Department followed MAM directives.
“These are the hospitals currently affected by the proposed transfer to Steward Health Care, and the MAM thanks members for sending such a clear message of support.”
The MAM insisted that all possible future privatisations, including that of Mater Dei Hospital, were governed by the same clause requiring six weeks of discussion with the doctors. “It is indeed a bad omen from the government side when it goes about these deals in a secretive way,” Dr Balzan said.
The MAM apologised for the inconvenience caused to patients and thanked those who understood its message.
Steward will bring about results quicker – PM
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is confident the transfer of the 30-year concession for the running of three State hospitals to Steward Health Care will bring about results quicker.
Fielding questions from journalists yesterday, a day after a strike by doctors at a number of hospital outpatients’ departments and health centres on Tuesday, Dr Muscat said the transfer from Vitals Global Healthcare to Steward was welcome news and results by the new operator would be “seen quicker”.
“I think the MAM had every right to take such action. I won’t criticise them for that but it is important we return to the table to find a solution,” Dr Muscat said.
On the doctors’ concern that the government might, in the future, not honour a clause in the collective agreement, as they say was the case with the concession transfer this time around, Dr Muscat said he interpreted the agreement differently.
“I think this is one of the issues being discussed and about which we need to find a clear solution,” Dr Muscat said.
Additional reporting by Claire Caruana