The MUMN has called for the Health Division to introduce regulations and guidelines for the control of Inductions at Mater Dei Hospital. The nurses union said that overcrowding at the maternity department at Mater Dei hospital, could jeopardize the mother and baby. That is why it is appealing to the health division to take the necessary measures immediately to address this situation.

The MUMN said that whilst it recognises some new tentative measures taken by the Health division to regulate and reduces the number inductions, it feels that such measures will not leave the desired results, to the interest of the mothers and their babies.

Other countries such as the NHS in the UK have implemented guidelines and protocols to regulate inductions and such protocols are available even to the general public. Also, although three years ago the Health division initiated a register were elective inductions can be booked and planned before hand within the maternity department, as to avoid overcrowding, Maltese consultants, not like their counterparts in the UK, did not collaborate with the health division to start booking beforehand the inductions through this register. In fact such register remained empty. Such lack of collaboration is causing great harm both to the mothers and to the midwives since mothers are being continuously transferred to wards not designed to take in mother/child as to be able to admit new mothers in the main delivery suite, the MUMN said.

MUMN said it is insisting with the health division to issue protocols and guidelines such as the NHS’s protocol, to all doctors, regulating the inductions in Mater Dei hospitals. Also the present register to book inductions in order to avoid any harm to the mother or the child has to be strictly adhered to. The union is appealing to all organizations that have the interest and the well being of the mother and baby for their support.

MUMN concluded by saying it is doing its utmost to avoid any industrial actions which can arise if such a situation in Mater Dei Hospital is not addressed by the health division. The union said it is conceding a time frame of two weeks so as the health department will come up with the necessary protocols and a proper registration system.

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