Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela faces accusations of treating nurses and doctors differently over leave disputes
The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) has launched a scathing attack on Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela, alleging "unprecedented" double standards in how the health ministry handles leave disputes between nursing staff and doctors [1].
At the centre of the row is legal action taken against Cath Suite nurses to halt future industrial action over leave. The first court sitting took place on Wednesday. According to the MUMN, this marks the first time a health minister has pursued such punitive action against nursing staff [1].
"This episode makes the message painfully clear: when consultants cancel elective lists to take leave, it is approved. But when nurses stand up for their leave, they are dragged to court," the union stated [1].
Ministry's legal argument centres on patient safety
The health ministry's legal representatives are expected to argue that directives affecting elective lists could jeopardise patient safety. The MUMN says it will dismantle this claim with evidence in court [1].
The union plans to present records showing that elective lists in both the Cath Suite and the Main Operating Theatre were cancelled during the festive period to accommodate doctors' vacation leave [1]. Dr Robert Xuereb, who earns €122,000 per year, is expected to give evidence arguing that elective lists cannot be cancelled—despite, according to the MUMN, such cancellations occurring under his tenure to allow doctors to take leave [1].
Broader pattern of inconsistency
The MUMN pointed to what it describes as further evidence of hypocrisy at Gozo General Hospital. The union claims the minister is aware that doctors have refused to accompany critically ill Gozitan patients to Mater Dei Hospital, yet no court action has been brought against them [1].
"We are not attacking doctors. We are attacking a system that treats nurses differently."
— Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses [1]
The union stressed that its grievance is not an attack on doctors, who are fully entitled to their leave. Rather, the MUMN described the situation as an indictment of an inequitable system that singles out nurses while excusing others [1].
Communication breakdown inflames tensions
The MUMN also accused the health ministry of failing to inform it that a dispute had been resolved two days before contested directives were due to take effect. This omission, the union said, inflamed tensions and breached established industrial-relations norms [1].
Wider concerns about health service delivery
Beyond the legal case, the MUMN raised alarm about conditions across Malta's health service [1]:
- Elective list cancellations are symptomatic of failures to deliver planned health projects, with the latest tender for the Cath Suite extension failing to materialise [1]
- Bed shortages at Mater Dei Hospital have worsened due to population increases, with more patients nursed in corridors "without dignity, privacy, or proper care" [1]
- The Early Pregnancy Unit—a government-promoted facility designed to care for mothers experiencing miscarriage or early pregnancy problems—was closed on Sunday, with mothers transferred to another ward housing advanced-pregnancy patients and newborns [1]
- The unit is now admitting medical and surgical patients alongside its intended purpose [1]
- The theatre and endoscopy recovery area has been hosting acutely ill medical patients for months, "a situation it said jeopardises patient safety on a daily basis" [1]
Court battle looms
The MUMN said it will request testimony from both Cath Suite nurses and health ministry officials, and intends to submit records of festive-season elective cancellations as evidence [1].
The union rejected what it described as the "weaponisation" of court proceedings against nurses while long-standing consultant leave practices go unquestioned. It reaffirmed its commitment to defending nursing staff rights while calling for "equitable and consistent standards across the health service" [1].