Nurses' union calls industrial action over Mater Dei staff shortages

Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses calls industrial action at Mater Dei over lack of health carers to provide constnat supervision to patients at risk. 

The union of midwives and nurses (MUMN) has declared industrial action at Mater Dei, after complaining to the national hospital’s management about severe understaffing .

MUMN secretary general Colin Galea said that there aren’t enough health carers to provide constant supervision to all the patients that require it, effectively meaning that several patients aren’t receiving the treatment prescribed to them by their doctors. The situation is particularly bad at night, when the complement of nurses at the hospital drops by half.

Contant monitoring is usually ordered on patients deemed at risk of harming themselves or of escaping the hospital.

“Due to the lack of health carers, the hospital’s management has requested nurses to allocate one of their supporting staff to patients that require constant watch,” Galea said. “There are already too few nurses and supporting staff as it is, and it is practically impossible for their numbers to be reduced even further. The present situation has endangered patient safety practices.”

Moreover, the MUMN said it is unacceptable for nurses to face civil and criminal charges when their patients escape or harm themselves, due to management shortcomings in hiring staff.

“The industrial action will apply until the management hires more health carers to provide constant watch to patients that require it,” Galea said.