The MUMN has registered an industrial dispute with Steward Health Care Gozo, saying that “no nursing care on query cases on Covid cases will take place, nor will any services continue related to Covid in the Gozo General Hospital.”

In a statement, the Union said that “it is not acceptable that Steward Health Care are to employ foreign nurses at Gozo General Hospital when there are Gozitan nurses working in Malta who are waiting to be transferred to GGH.”

MUMN said that several directives will be issued in all wards in GGH,” which it said, “will affect the service of the whole hospital, including the Downtown Hotel where elderly patients are being nursed instead of the long awaiting elderly home of San Guzepp where the construction work has been halted for these last months.”

MUMN stressed that it “cannot accept that Steward Health Care did not abide to an agreement reached between the Health Department, Steward Health Care and MUMN.”

The Union went on to say that it expects that Steward Health Care is to “abide to the social aspect of the island of Gozo so as to avoid the suffering of countless Gozitans who have no choice but to go to work or study in Malta on a daily basis.”

The Union argued that “employing foreign nurses to work in GGH is an insult and shows great lack of respect not just to the nurses from Gozo but to all people who live in Gozo.”

MUMN accused Steward Health Care of being “a cold blooded organisation which has still not adopted, nor is concerned of the families living in Gozo.”

Regardless who is in Government, both the PN and the PL, “always respected the fact that nurses from Gozo are to work in Gozo,” the MUMN said. “In fact an official list exists so that all nurses from Gozo would know when it is their turn to be transferred from Malta to Gozo.”

The Union pointed out that this list has always been accessible to all nurses from Gozo and a strict order is maintained. Steward has broken this long standing practice which was upheld by all administrations by ignoring this transfer list and employ foreign nurses in GGH.”

MUMN stated that it contacted Steward Health Care to avoid the dispute but it was in vain.”

A protest will also be carried out next Wednesday, the 17th of June, in front of Castille by all nurses who are waiting to be transferred to Gozo.

The Union said that this is to ask the intervention of the Prime Minister in this matter. “MUMN will not rest until such nurses are retracted and Gozo nurses are transferred to Gozo Hospital,” it said.

MUMN added that it expects that it is the role of the Prime Minister to have the interest of the Gozitan families at heart, so as to intervene to stop Steward Health Care from deploying foreign nurses.

The Union concluded by saying that, “hopefully the Prime Minister will take the necessary action and show the people of Gozo that his office truly cares for the families in Gozo.”

Photograph by Anthony Zammit

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