NEWS | Wednesday, 07 January 2009

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Matthew Vella
The number of doctors who were assigned to the emergency department at Mater Dei Hospital has been halved, after 14 young medics took up advanced studies to further their medical specialisation.
According to comments by Dr Martin Balzan, president of the Medical Association of Malta, there are less doctors inside Mater Dei’s emergency department during the night shift, with the number expected to go down to four.
In comments to other sections of the press, Balzan said other health centres such as Gzira, Mosta, Paola and Floriana had some five doctors assigned.
Balzan said the number of doctors on night-shift would go back to pre-migration levels. He said doctors were spending less years working in emergency, some of them finding work abroad, or because they were furthering their studies.
The Ministry of Social Policy and Health yesterday told MaltaToday it recognised there were problems of human resources where doctors are concerned.
“Fourteen young doctors have left, having been chosen to pursue their specialisation course in Malta, a specialisation which is not in Emergency. It is therefore not correct to say that half of the doctors in Emergency have left.”
The ministry said that Mater Dei’s management was making arrangements so that doctors who are on duty during the night also give their contribution to the emergency department.

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