Health Commissioner urges unions not to use patients as pawns, government to act with expediency when disputes arise

The Health Commissioner has urged unions not to use patients as “pawns” to exert pressure on the government whenever industrial disputes arise.

The commissioner in the Ombudsman’s office also chastised the Health Ministry, insisting that it should take “immediate action” when unions pinpoint problems.

He was reacting to a 15-month-long industrial dispute involving allied health professionals employed by Steward Health Care that came to a close earlier this week.

The commissioner welcomed the agreement reached between the UĦM – Voice of the Workers and the Health Ministry this week over the disparity in work conditions of staff employed by Steward Health Care and the government.

The commissioner said the dispute took over 15 months, including more than two months of industrial action that impacted not only hospitals run by Steward Health Care, but also Mater Dei Hospital.

Steward is an American firm that runs the Gozo General Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital and Karin Grech Hospital.

As a result of the dispute, patients needing rehabilitative treatment could not be transferred to Karin Grech Rehabilitation Hospital. Patients could not be transferred from one ward to another.

“The commissioner would therefore like to appeal 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 ministry should take immediate action when a union pinpoints a particular problem. It is not fair and just for patients to be made to suffer,” the commissioner said.