Health ombudsman hits out at union actions affecting hospital patients

A third union that issued directives affeting patients in hospitals and residents in care homes, were against human dignity, the Commissioner for Health at the Office of the Ombudsman warned.

Latest directives issued on Monday had called on employees not to bathe patients and residents, including the changing of nappies. “This affects mainly patients and residents who are incontinent,” the commissioner said.

Charles Messina condemned without reservations such directives which he said go against the dignity of the human being. “This is an attack on the most vulnerable persons.”

It was the second warning to come from the Commissioner for Health at the Office of the Ombudsman after expressing concern that unions were using St Vincent de Paul patients as “pawns to pressure the authorities to accede to their requests”.

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 were admitted to the general wards at Mater Dei Hospital, where the required expertise might be lacking.

The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Roberta Sammut, also raised concerns, warning that residents were not being provided with “dignified and essential care”.