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Much has recently been said about Mater Dei, but very little comment has been made about the fact that the new hospital does not have any space for a childcare centre.
On Friday 22nd June, just one week prior to the opening of the new hospital, parents of children using the childcare facilities at St Luke’s were called to a meeting to discuss the future of our children’s care. We were informed that the area showing on the official Mater Dei plans as a childcare centre had been taken over to be used as part of the Medical School and Institute of Healthcare – so there was no place for our children at Mater Dei. Although we had heard rumours regarding this development, nothing official had been communicated to us – so you can imagine our consternation when we discovered that during the migration process our children are going to be left behind.
This childcare facility is a precious resource for staff at St Luke’s – at the moment the dedicated carers in the nursery take care of 47 children, and there are a further 50 children on the waiting list, with more children being added every week. Over the last 12 years, over 300 children have used this facility, while their parents worked at St Luke’s Hospital.
The parents attending the meeting tried to take a positive approach to the predicament. We asked about the long-term plans for the nursery, and were informed that for the time being no plans existed other than leaving the children at St Luke’s. Contrary to what was stated in an article in The Sunday Circle, no tender has been issued, and no decision has been taken as to what will happen to the nursery.
We also tried to discuss the practicalities of the situation, but were met with a stone wall.
Would it be possible for the nursery to open a little earlier, to give staff time to drop off the children and then make their way to Mater Dei in time for their shift? The answer was that the administration was not planning a change in opening hours.
Would it be possible to arrange reserved car spaces on the St Luke’s ring road, outside the nursery, so the children can be taken into the nursery as fast as possible, once again so parents would make it to work on time? Once again the answer was that the administration had not taken this into consideration.
So we ask the people in charge – how can we drop off our children at the nursery at St Luke’s Hospital at 6.45am and somehow make it to our ward at Mater Dei just 10 minutes after that? The reality is that unless something different is planned, we are going to be late at work every morning – which is not fair to our co-workers, let alone to the patients in our care.
We also asked about the staff at the Nursery – the 10 lovely ladies who have been caring for our children and have become like aunties to them. It seems that their future is uncertain, and they have no idea what will happen to them either.
At this point we call on the Commissioner of Children, the Minister of Health and the Minister for the Family to look into the matter. Putting up billboards stating the parents should demand quality childcare, and making speeches about empowering women to return to the workplace does not quite cut it. The facts of what has happened at Mater Dei show that the authorities do not put the children’s welfare very high on their agenda.
So we, the parents of the 47 children currently using the nursery, and the 50 children hoping to start using it over the coming months, ask the authorities to give us answers to our questions. What is going to happen to our children? What is going to happen to the staff at the nursery? Are the children really going to be left behind?
Dr Andrew Cassar,
St Luke’s Hospital
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