Health Ministry slams “fake news”

The Ministry categorically denies the claims made by the MAM today. On the contrary, in yesterday’s press event, Minister Jo Etienne Abela was unequivocal in his support of all healthcare professionals and the condemnation of “fake news” attacking the Health Services.

Indeed, the Ministry notes that representatives of the MAM are being very economical with the truth and are persisting in the confrontational and negative attitude that they have adopted over the past 6 months. In addition, they are deviously suggesting that a Ministerial Inquiry that was setup at law to scrutinise care pathways, is somehow undermining the medical profession. Therefore, in the spirit expressed by the recently published conclusions of magisterial inquiry, it is high time that doctors, patients and society at large are made aware of the obstructive stance that MAM has persistently adopted in MAM-Government interactions. This stance has reached levels that are affecting the transformation of the Healthcare Services and the society’s expectations of delivery of care.

Therefore, the Ministry would like to inform the public that MAM representatives have opposed, obstructed or slowed down the following reforms, that are aimed at putting safe patient care first:

1. Assessment by first senior medical contact in the emergency departments;
2. Consultant assignation to emergency patients;
3. The replenishment of Emergency Doctors at the Gozo General Hospital Casualty;
4. The outsourcing to the private sector of emergency services for non-life threatening conditions to allow the Emergency Department to concentrate on life-threatening conditions;
5. The transformation of Mater Dei level -1 floor into a “hot-floor” that will obviate corridor wards that Government deems not patient-worthy;
6. The establishment of a medical high dependency unit in the newly appointed M10;
7. The setting up of an ambulatory care hospital in St Luke’s, to relocate day care facilities, dental surgery, ophthalmology, dermatology, out of Mater Dei;
8. The setting up of an out-patients clinic facility in Karin Grech Hospital;
9. Investment in a large state-of -the-art Mother and Child Unit in the current out-patient block at Mater Dei Hospital – this would free space in Mater-Dei to allow an increase of bed-space for acute older-person admissions;
10. The integration of mental health into physical health;

11.The inclusion of patient advocacy representatives (Malta Health Network) on medical regulatory/disciplinary bodies;

12. The development of acute psychiatric services in Mater Dei Hospital to hone services and abolish the stigma that patients and health care professionals still suffer to this day;
13. Relocation of non-invasive ventilation services to a new suggested site;
14. Re-emergence of plastic surgery as a sub-speciality with its own dedicated ward;
15. The immediate provision of a 6-month out-sourced IVF services to allow enlargement and refurbishment of the Mater Dei ART clinic (outsourcing was awarded at a cost that is significantly lower than recent equivalent expenses at Mater Dei Hospital);
16. The inclusion of patient advocacy representatives (e.g. Malta Health Network) into medical regulatory/disciplinary bodies;
17. Investment in extra twilight CT and MR scan sessions to provide a 24/7, 7-days a week radiology service at Mater Dei and Gozo General Hospitals, paid on a per-case basis, in order to address and abolish current waiting-lists;
18. Resistance to unit sub-specialising e.g. gastroenterology department to, amongst other things, address out-patient waiting lists of close to 6000 patients.

This notwithstanding, the Ministry for Health and Active Ageing remains open to constructive discussion as is the case with the other trade unions. The Ministry is determined to deliver patient-centred care and remains committed to safe transformation and modernization of Government Health Services.