Health sciences faculty raises alarm on treatment of elderly at St Vincent de Paul

The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Roberta Sammut has raised concerns regarding the treatment of residents at St Vincent de Paul as a result of disputes between unions and management.

She warned that residents were not being provided with “dignified and essential care”.

Sammut was reacting to a statement issued by the Commissioner for Health at the Office of the Ombudsman last week, who expressed concern that the unions were using patients as "pawns to pressure the authorities to accede to their requests.”

This was after a union issued directives to its members at St Vincent de Paul not to bathe and not to help residents to mobilise. 

Another union has also issued directives that limit the number of cancer patients that can be admitted to Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Clinic. As a result, patients are admitted to the general wards at Mater Dei Hospital, where the required expertise might be lacking.

Sammut said the faculty agreed with the Commissioner for Health that patients or residents should not be used as ‘pawns’ in union disputes and called for the directives to stop. 

"We encourage the unions and health and social care authorities to resolve these disputes for the benefit of the staff, the residents and their family members," Sammut said. 

READ MORE: Unions using patients as 'pawns' to pressure authorities, health commissioner warns