The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has said in a statement this morning that elderly patients in Gozo General Hospital are being left in beds and not placed in armchairs, because the hospital is still short of 22 carers which MUMN had been requesting for for the past months.

MUMN added that it is now requesting the intervention of the Prime Minister.

“While under the current PL administration, the elderly Division in Malta had used direct order to engage carers as not to endanger the elderly residents in SVPR, the same decision was not followed by the management of the Gozo General Hospital at the detriment of the elderly residents,” the Union said.

MUMN pointed out that last year had supported the elderly Division so to act in a safe practice and in the benefit of the elderly in SVPR when a shortage of carers resulted, with a direct order being issued to address the shortage in an urgent manner. This was a great success.

According to the Union the same decisions were not followed by the CEO of Gozo General hospital supported by the Health Division which Gozo General Hospital forms part of. “Presently there are Gozitan carers fully qualified working in various residents/hospitals in Malta all willingly to work in Gozo but prohibited from doing so.”

MUMN said that it has also been informed by the Health Division that the tender for the procurement of carers for Gozo General Hospital did not only not include any time frame for the winning bidder but neither the amount of carers needed in Gozo in the specifications.

“To add insult to injury, MUMN who is suppose to be a stake holder with the health Division, was ridiculed when MUMN stressed that carers are urgently needed since the elderly residents are being put in risk on a daily basis.”

MUMN stated that it is therefore requesting the intervention of the office of the Prime Minister as to address the issue of the lack of carers for the sake of the elderly residents in St. Anna and also within the male and female general wards.

“Residents in Gozo General Hospital especially those in St. Anna have now been left in beds for weeks with the CEO of Gozo General Hospital and the Health Division allowing this human suffering to continue.”

The Union said that “while the Minister for Gozo provided the necessary funds as to address such shortage urgently, the CEO of Gozo General Hospital with the support of the Health Division have allowed such human suffering to take place for months on end.”

MUMN appealed to the Prime Minister “to take pity on the elderly in Gozo and stop such suffering by allowing that the Gozo carers working in Malta to start working in Gozo General Hospital where they are much needed.”

“It is a shame that in this country, only the lower grades such as the nursing grades are to be accountable to the public while top management who seems to be supported by the top officials in the Health Division are not accountable to no one,” the Union said.

“MUMN is therefore appealing to the Prime Minister to intervene by providing the necessary carers and by investigating why such human suffering had to take place in the first place.”

Permalink: Elderly patients stuck in beds for weeks in Gozo General Hospital – MUMN