Doctors’ judicial protest won’t ‘intimidate us’, nurses say

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses “won’t be intimidated” by a judicial protest filed by the Medical Association of Malta (MAM) against the nurses’ union.

The judicial protest filed in reaction to a directive ordering nurses not to administer drugs that would have not been provided to the wards by pharmacists.

According to the MUMN, nurses are facing increased paperwork in order to get medicines prescribed to patients from the hospital’s pharmacy. According to the nurses, the doctors were not filling the covering letter.

“MAM’s judicial protest has in no way affected our stand. Covering letters are the responsibility of the consultants. However, some of them fail to fill them in forcing nurses and midwives to chase after the consultants to procure the necessary tablets for the patients,” MUMN said.

“After a series of discussions with the Health Department, it was agreed that whenever a consultant fails to fill any covering letter, nurses are to inform the management who will take full responsibility. The management also agreed it would take disciplinary actions over the consultants’ shortcomings.”

MUMN is informed in writing that the management would also take responsibility for any missed treatment emanating from a consultant’s failure to fill the covering letter.

“Such agreement suited MUMN since all responsibility and the chasing around will have to be done by the management. This is the only hospital in Europe to have a hospital management accepting to chase consultants instead of having a pharmacist stocking the wards, as is the normal practice in all hospitals.”

MUMN went on to thank Health Minister Konrad Mizzi for the agreement.