Doctors lambast MUMN statement, ‘public embarrassment to nursing community’

The Medical Association of Malta issued a harsh reaction to claims by Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses president Paul Pace that the health minister should resign for not acknowledging the needs of nurses in a seminar concerning the occupational health of doctors.

MAM president Dr Martin Balzan said Pace’s criticism was unjustified and uncalled for.

“We encourage the MUMN leaderhip to try and represent the high level of professionalism of their membership in their public statements. Statements such is this and the ‘condemning help to Libyan patients’ do not do justice to all those conscientious healthcare professionals in the sector, and cause public embarrassment to the nursing profession with foreign invited international experts,” Balzan said.

Balzan thanked Cassar for his support to the conference ‘Caring for Doctors’ aimed at setting up a system of helping doctors with personal difficulties. “We followed principles of ethical trade unionism, and restricted the conference to support of medical practitioners so as not to interfere with other initiatives by organizations of other healthcare workers.”

Nurses’ union boss Paul Pace opened a scathing broadside yesterday against health minister Joe Cassar, saying he should resign after ignoring nurses’ occupational health needs in a speech addressed to doctors.

“The minister deserves to resign after such a speech since it shows the utter neglect of the grievances suffered by nurses and midwives during their line of work,” Pace said.

Cassar reacted in the evening saying Pace had misunderstood the conference's aim, which focused on doctors specifically, and that he had already addressed nurses in May at the International Council of Nurses Conference. "I think it's unethical for me to answer to the kind of language used by Pace, given that the MUMN president used some disparaging allusions to mental illness to attack me."