Making way for new blood

Prof. Albert Fenech, the renowned and much-loved cardiologist who is also a Nationalist MP, is claiming that the fact he is not being kept on at Mater Dei now that he has reached (and passed) retirement age, is due to political discrimination. At first, I thought he was justified in saying this, because on the face of it, that is what it looked like.

However, after having found out more about the situation, I feel I have to revise my opinion. Some scoffed at the idea that this had to do with making way for younger cardiologists, calling this merely an ‘excuse’, but from people I have spoken to, yes, it is as simple (and complicated) as that.

The first point which needs to be made is that you have to compare like with like and it just so happens that we have a clear-cut comparison with (Labour MP) Prof. Anthony Zammit who was asked to retire as soon as he turned 61. For, if we are going to state that Prof. Fenech’s forced retirement is politically-motivated, then we have to say the same thing happened with Prof. Zammit in 2011. It simply cannot be that one is tinged with political overtones and yet the other one wasn’t.

iI Prof. Fenech is allowed to stay on (indefinitely?), then every consultant has to be offered a similar opportunity, which means there will never be any new openings for anyone else at Mater Dei.

And, in many ways, Prof. Zammit was not as fortunate as Prof. Fenech. Because as it turns out, in 2013, the PN administration at the time had reached an agreement with the Medical Association of Malta that hospital consultants after reaching retirement age, may be given a one year’s extension on their contract.

“Paragraph 9.7.5: Sessions may be offered to retired consultants if the Management is unable to recruit enough consultants in that specialty or if the need arises”.

Prof. Fenech was given such a contract, which is now coming to an end and, from what I have learned, there are very capable, highly qualified consultants in the field of cardiology ready to fill his shoes. Because, ultimately, this is what the issue is all about isn’t it? Stepping aside to let others take over, which is always a difficult pill for anyone to swallow. So while technically, yes, Mater Dei could extend his contract, is it really fair when one considers that there are other people waiting in the wings ready to be promoted?

There is also another very obvious point: if Prof. Fenech is allowed to stay on (indefinitely?), then every consultant has to be offered a similar opportunity, which means there will never be any new openings for anyone else at Mater Dei. I have to stress that this is Mater Dei we are talking about, because as so many have pointed out, nothing is preventing a retired consultant of Prof. Fenech’s calibre from continuing to offer his excellent services at a private hospital. He should also be offered the chance to continue teaching at the medical school, if this has not been done already, in order to pass on his years of experience.

It appears that there are two weights and two measures in the way policy is implemented. So, if it wants to retain any credibility, Mater Dei’s management needs to clarify exactly who has had his/her contract extended and why.

As for whether partisan politics comes into any of this, I doubt we will ever have an answer to that one because who is to say why one person is given a promotion and not the other? With all things being equal (by which I mean when you have two or more people who are equally qualified for a post), there is always going to be someone disgruntled who will lay the blame on politics, so you can’t really win. Having said that, the management at Mater Dei cannot appear to be pandering to the whims of those with political clout and it is essential that it acts fairly.

According to the MAM “several post-retirement consultants have been re-engaged or had their contracts extended by the Department of Health.” This is what upsets people the most (and rightly so): when it appears that there are two weights and two measures in the way policy is implemented. So, if it wants to retain any credibility, Mater Dei’s management needs to clarify exactly who has had his/her contract extended and why.

There is no doubt that Prof. Fenech has saved many, many lives and there are countless patients who are indebted to him, which is why the news that he has been asked to step aside was met with such emotional outrage.

However, I can also fully understand why those who are his juniors are clamping at the bit. It is not like this is a country with hundreds of hospitals to choose from. Even in the fictional world of the TV series Grey’s Anatomy, which is set in Seattle, Washington, there were several episodes dedicated to the jockeying for position to fill the most coveted spots at Seattle Grace hospital. Let alone in Malta, where we have one state hospital, and a handful of private ones, and yet numerous doctors are being churned out every year, while many more go abroad to specialise in specific fields of medicine who would like to practice in their home country.

I think what all this really boils down to is the way our perception of age has changed over the decades. If 50 is the new 40, then surely, 60 is the new 50. I know so many people in their 60s who are as energetic and eager to remain active as ever; in fact they put many teenagers to shame. So it is very, very easy to empathize with someone who feel his days as a professional are not “over” and that he has a lot more to give.

This enthusiasm, however, should never be at the expense of keeping the next generation down and pushed back so that they can never stand a chance. While it is true that we cannot afford to cast aside those who have done so much for the medical field in Malta, it is also a shame if lack of opportunities leads to a brain drain, where our best young surgeons and specialists have no other choice but to leave the country.