News | Sunday, 24 May 2009

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Government and doctors reach new agreement

Matthew Vella
Social Policy Minister John Dalli yesterday reached an agreement with the Medical Association Malta (MAM) president Martin Balzan to quell impending industrial action by doctors over the deployment of doctors at the health centres.
The agreement was reached with the help of Gejtu Tanti, the president of the Union Haddiema Maqghudin.
Following yesterday’s discussions, government and the MAM have agreed that up to the 15 June, the general practice service in health centres will be operated as at present, except for the Gzira centre where this service will stop between 5pm and 8am the following day.
The doctors currently deployed at the Gzira health centre after 5pm will be deployed in the other three health centres in Paola, Floriana and Mosta, in the same timeframes in which they are currently deployed – between 5pm and 8am of the following day – according to the exigencies of services.
During this period, the two sides will discuss all the items agreed on the 18 May agreement, which was the reason why they went back into discussion after the MAM claimed government had broken its deal.
If no agreement is reached by the 15 June, then doctors will revert to the 18 May agreement. But government will inform the MAM of the changes it proposes and that no farming out of existing GP services to private healthcare provides are being contemplated.
The government said that this understanding does not affect in any way any proposals or decisoins to be made or taken in conjunction with the proposed reforms in primary healthcare, which will be the subhect of separate discussions between the government and the MAM.
Until last night, the doctors’ union decided to order a full-blown strike, just days after half of Malta’s health centres remained unmanned by doctors for a day following a dispute about the shortage of doctors in the government clinics.
Last Thursday, Minister Dalli had presented the doctors’ representatives with options to keep all health centres open, including at night, using the present complement of 69 doctors.
This was interpreted by Dr Balzan as the government going back on the agreement reached on Monday, which stated that the Gzira health centre would no longer operate during the night and that health centre doctors would only man two out of the Gzira, Qormi, Rabat and Cospicua clinics in the afternoon.
According to data released by the ministry, the Mosta, Gzira, Paola and Floriana clinics, manned by between two and 3.5 doctors at night, would only need one doctor between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.
This would allow for the number of doctors working in the seven clinics to go up by 10 in the morning hours and six in the afternoon, when they were needed most. This would happen without adding a single doctor to the present complement.

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