[WATCH] Bernard Grech blames Prime Minister's 'arrogance' for dismissal of COVID expert

The decision to remove COVID-19 consultant Kenneth Grech showcases Prime Minister Robert Abela’s “arrogance” and “unwillingness” to listen to experts, Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said.

Grech was reacting to the news that Grech, a public health consultant who recommended caution on schools reopening in the wake of the post-holidays COVID-19 surge, was removed by the government over the weekend.

He is understood to have been told that his services within the COVID-19 response team were no longer needed and that he would be redeployed.

READ MORE: Doctors angered after government removes consultant who recommended caution on school reopening

“This decision confirms with certainty that Robert Abela had the advice of medical experts not to open schools immediately because it could be very detrimental to the health of our children, educators and teachers, of school administrations as well as of our families,” Grech said in a Facebook post.

Grech said that the current situation revealed a Prime Minister who does not accept the advice of medical experts, and who wants to decide everything, “on his own without paying attention to anyone else.”

The decision to remove Grech has been condemned by the Medical Association of Malta, the Malta Union of Teachers, and the Union of Professional Educators.