“It is not fair and just for patients to suffer during industrial disputes,” the Commissioner for Health in the Office of the Ombudsman has said.

In a statement on Friday, the Commissioner for Health in the Office of the Ombudsman, said that it noted with satisfaction the agreement reached by UHM – Voice of the Workers and the Ministry for Health, regarding equal conditions of work of Steward Health Care employees and those employed by the Government, as reported in sections of the media. This concerned employees in the Allied Health Profession.

It pointed out that the dispute, took over 15 months to solve, including over two months of Industrial Action.

The Commissioner highlighted the fact that this action affected not only those hospitals run by Steward Healthcare, but also Mater Dei Hospital from where patients needing rehabilitative treatment could not be transferred to Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital.

Also, patients could not be transferred from one ward to another, the Commissioner said. This meant that at Karin Grech Hospital patients in the Admission/Quarantine ward could not be transferred to their proper ward.

The Commissioner appealed to the Unions – all Unions – “not to use the patient as a pawn in order to exert pressure on the Ministry.” On the other hand, the Commissioner said that the Ministry should take immediate action when a Union pin points a particular problem.

Photo by Anthony Zammit

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