A nursing aide who had a clash with her superior at Mt Carmel Hospital was humiliated to the extent that she was treated as a patient and even forced to shower before her colleagues, the General Workers' Union said on Thursday.
Section Secretary Jeremy Camilleri said the nursing aide had a "forced admission" and detained at the hospital after allegedly saying she was going to take her life. Yet, during her stay there, no treatment whatsoever was given to her.
After a decision "taken over the phone" she ended up in the same ward where she used to work, and kept under constant watch.
"During her four-day stay she even had to suffer the humiliation of having to shower in front of her colleagues," Mr Camilleri told a press conference.
She even had to suffer the humiliation of having to shower in front of her colleagues- Union secretary
Moreover, she was charged over her clash with her superior and found guilty by the hospital management, even though she had informed the officials that she could not be present as she was on sick leave.
The nursing aide, who is also a mother, is currently on half pay. She is the sole breadwinner of her family, Mr Camilleri said.
Describing it as a shocking case, the union called on Health Minister Chris Fearne to intervene and to uphold the nurse's request to be reinstated and transferred elsewhere.
The case has been referred to the Mental Health Commissioner, where the investigation is still pending. However, according to an “independent psychiatrist,” the nursing aide was not suffering from any mental health problems when she had clashed with her superior, Mr Camilleri said.
Touching on other issues, Mr Camilleri said “threats” were being made to care workers at Mount Carmel Hospital, who, he said were being forced to perform duties outside their remit.
These care workers, who are employed by a contractor, are being forced to do "level 1 constant watch", he said. The term refers to cases where a patient is seen as being an imminent risk of harming himself or others.
The care workers were not trained for this work, but if they refuse, they are being told that they would be fired, Mr Camilleri said.