The nurses’ council would not say why it had only flagged a problem with the registration of non-EU trained nurses last month when the matter had been an issue for close to a year.
The Times of Malta reported last week that nurses and midwives who were not trained in the EU have not been allowed to work in Malta despite staff shortages. In an attempt to rectify the situation, Health Minister Chris Fearne confirmed that the government would be issuing a legal notice “soon” that would enable some 70 nurses not trained in Europe to join the public service.
Read: 70 non-EU trained nurses to join health sector
According to Mr Fearne, the Council of Nurses and Midwives only approached him with the issue last month.
Asked a series of questions on the matter, a spokeswoman for the council sent with a curt reply, confirming that the government would be issuing a legal notice to address the issue.
The legal notice establishes the fees due for attending these courses
“Following discussions between the Council for Nurses and Midwives and the Deputy Prime Minister earlier this summer, the government will in the coming days be publishing a legal notice empowering the council to organise adaptation courses for Third Country National nurses. The legal notice establishes the fees due for attending these courses,” the spokeswoman noted.
No reply was forthcoming when the Times of Malta asked why the council had only raised the issue in recent weeks when there have not been any registrations for non-EU trained staff since November.
Nor was an explanation given as to why there were no problems with the registration of nurses and midwives from outside Europe before November last year.
When asked about the situation, the minister skirted all questions, insisting instead that the council was autonomous and that it had only approached the government for help last month.
Sources who spoke to this newspaper confirmed that the issue was an open secret and that those working in public health were well aware that colleagues who were not trained in the EU were having to work as carers instead of nurses or midwives as a result of the registration issue.
According to a Health Ministry spokeswoman, a call for expressions of interest to engage mentors for the programme, designed to equip the nurses with the necessary skills, had been compiled and would be issued in the coming days.