In a statement on Thursday, the MUMN accused the Prime Minister for being “the least concerned for the healthcare work force issues, undermining the success which such work force achieved in the covid crisis.”

The union has issued directives to all MUMN members for industrial action as from Monday unless the Government agrees to a ban on mass events, as well as number of other demands.

MUMN argued that “the Prime Minister had been ignoring the interests of the nurses and the healthcare work force from the very beginning of the covid crisis.”

“We are informed that the actions of the Prime Minister for allowing mass events is not in favour of the economy but in favour of a few greedy businessman that are fattening their pockets with money which is more important than the lives of the vulnerable people and the healthcare workers,” the Union said.

It went on to say that, “smiles and photo shots with nurses were the main facade of the Prime Minister while on the other hand the OPM (Office of the Prime Minister) removed the covid allowance granted by Minister Fearne by utilising a very small group of nurses as to justify the u-turn of the OPM and refused to address nurses’ issues who had no child care facilities to send their children during the crisis, just to mention one example.”

According to the Union the Prime Minister is the “only Prime Minister in Europe who is `too busy’ to meet the Nurses’ Representatives and was `too busy’ to thank the nurses for their contribution.”

“Even the President of America had the decency to meet the Nurses’ Representatives. MUMN recognises a ‘fools remark’ and shows the lack of appreciation and unwarranted arrogance from the OPM,” it said.

The Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portell is “neither up to her standard. Her skills were put to the test when interviewed by BBC and failed miserably when asked on issues of allowing tourism from high risk countries and mass events,” the MUMN stated.

But such a Minister “acted most irresponsibly by allowing all types of mass gathering and parties by stating to the media – We know what we are doing. It is clear now with the increase of covid cases, that this Minister, does not know what she is doing.”

MUMN said that it has been asked to take a stand by its members from across the Health Services.

Being the largest union in the health care sector, the pressures of the pandemic are felt mostly by MUMN members. Compared to other European Countries, where nurses and other healthcare frontliners were given financial compensation due to the covid crisis, our nurses and healthcare staff made huge financial losses in their pay roll.

Being sent on quarantine, locked in a room for 14 days is a huge sacrifice and not being allowed to take care of your children are just some of the worst sacrifices nurses had to endure.

By allowing such mass events to take place accompanied by tourism from high risk countries, such quarantine measures came back to haunt us, the Union said. “Currently more than 30 nurses had to be put back in to quarantine due to the irresponsible decisions taken by OPM and by the Tourism Minister.”

But what is then even worst is that the OPM never allowed the Sunday and Feasts allowance to be retained when health care workers were put under quarantine, the Union said.

“Meal allowances are still being denied to GGH, SLH, SVP, MCH, Elderly Homes, Commcare and KGH,” the Union said. “On the other hand, discrimination is being done with all MUMN members working 12 hour shifts when vacation leave days are being increased.”

Till now all MUMN members including nurses, ECG technicians etc., have lost 12 hours of vacation leave, it said.

Therefore, MUMN said that it will not allow “further unnecessary sacrifices and discrimination which have fell on deaf ears by OPM.”

MUMN is therefore requesting that:-

All Sunday and feasts allowance will still be granted even when the Nurses and other Health Care Professionals are sent on quarantine leave;

Meal allowances to be given to all Health Care Workers working in SVP, Elderly Homes & Commcare, MCH, GGH, KGH and SLH;

12 hours of VL to all Healthcare Workers who are working twelve hour shifts;

Employ all Third Country National Nurses through the current open call to address the shortage of nurses;

Guarantee of child support that needs to be agreed with MUMN, if closure of schools and child care takes place;

Guarantee the cancellation of mass events such as imported parties where no social distancing cannot be maintained. MUMN has vulnerable Health Care Professionals, (not to mention vulnerable people in the society) which MUMN has the duty to protect – Health Care Lives Matters.

Failure to guarantee the above long pending issues, MUMN is issuing the following directives across the whole Health Service in Malta and Gozo:

As from Monday 3rd August 2020, all Nurses working in SVP, MDH, GGH, KGH, Elderly Homes, SAMOC & MCH are:-

Not to wash any patients;

Not to ambulate patients to an armchair from a bed and vice versa;

Not to accompany patients to X-rays, theatres, out-patients etc;

The only forms to be filled by the nurses & midwives are the nursing report, treatment charts, output/input charting, blood glucose monitoring, TPR and Sp02 monitoring; No other forms are to be filled by nurses, physiotherapists, midwives etc.

For the Physiotherapist working in SLH, GGH, SVP, MDH and KGH:-

Physiotherapists working in SLH are not to see more than three patients face to face per day;

Physiotherapists working in the wards of KGH and GGH are not to access new patients and are not to carry out home visits.

To all ECG Technician working in all hospitals:-

Not to take ECGs which are sent and ordered through the outpatients departments;

Not to take any ECGs requested as a review between 5.00 a.m. and 7.00 a.m.

MDH Theatre:-

Only four theatres are to be used for emergency purposes only. All elective surgery is to be stopped or done without any nurses. All Nurses are to remain in theatre.

Primary Health Care Department:-

No bloodletting;

No plaster.

Photo by Anthony Zammit

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