Directives to doctors in the public service have been issued by the Medical Medical Association of Malta, which among others includes not attending outpatient clinics at the Gozo General Hospital and Mater Dei Hospital from Monday.
The MAM said in a statement that “this follows the Government’s insistence on importing large mass events when COVID cases are spiking due to a mass event.”
The directives are as follows:
Gozo
From Monday, the 3rd of August, all Gozo General Hospital outpatients appointments are postponed. This directive will remain in force for one week.
(Doctors working in Oncology, psychiatry, geriatrics and paediatrics are exempt)
All Community Clinics (bereg) will remain closed.
All patients will be triaged at the Victoria Health Centre. Non urgent appointments will be postponed and patients with symptoms of COVID will be asked to call 111 and get a swab before they are seen.
Mater Dei Hospital
From Monday, the 3rd of August, all Mater Dei outpatients appointments are postponed, and doctor are directed NOT to attend for those sessions. This directive will remain in force for one week.
All elective surgery will be postponed from Wednesday, the 5th of August up to Tuesday, the 12th of August.
All elective ultrasound lists are postponed from Monday, the 3rd of August. This directive will remain in force for one week.
All doctors in the Accident and Emergency Department are exempt from directives.
Health Centres
All 42 Community Clinics will remain closed and no General Practitioners will attend. This directive will remain in force for one week
All Health Centres will set up a triage desk which will be manned by a doctor at all times.
Only urgent cases will be seen. Non urgent patients will be encouraged to postpone their appointment or call the telemedicine centre.
All clinically stable patients with Covid symptoms will be asked to call 111 and be swabbed before they are seen
All doctors are to wear PPE in all clinical areas
All diabetic and medical consultant clinic appointments will be postponed or held by telephone
Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre (SAMOC)
All Doctors in SAMOC are exempt from directives
Mount Carmel Hospital and community psychiatry
All Doctors in psychiatry are exempt from directives for now.
Public Health doctors and doctors working in swabbing centres.
Exempt from directives.
Karen Grech Hospital, Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine
Exempt from directives.
Interested doctors are being encouraged by MAM to apply to work some sessions in swabbing and contact tracing in order to keep up with demand. It said that “while this should be on a voluntary basis it should be against payment at normal rates.
MAM concluded by saying that it strongly urges the government to follow the medical advice in the ongoing pandemic and not to put lives and livelihoods at risk unnecessarily.
Photo by Anthony Zammit
2 Comments To "Outpatients appointments postponed and clinics closed from Monday – MAM"
#1 Comment By Heather Rivett On August 1, 2020 @ 8:48 am
Does this also include those that have to have their INR checked which is classed as life threatening
#2 Comment By Anthony Zammit On August 1, 2020 @ 4:53 pm
Is this for real? I thought that MAM got what it wanted. Parties, marches and even processions were cancelled! What the hell is going on? Monday I have a long waited for an appointment and if I do not find the doctor I will leave this dreadful island where I was born and lived all my life. I cannot fathom how this group of people use the weak and the elderly as forfronts in their power show. Where are our rights? Doctors pledged that they save lives, MAM pledges to back up doctors in their work of saving lives. I not only do strongly condemn this evil and illegal strike but ask for all MAM’s directors involved in this dreadful industrial action or wathever it is called to resign. They are not deemed to represent our doctors.