Minister's son-in-law was appointed to medical post after three months on register

A doctor who was appointed designate consultant surgeon at Mater Dei Hospital was ineligible because he had only been on the specialist register for three months.

Robert Cuschieri, the son-in-law of education minister Dolores Cristina, had his position revoked by the Public Service Commission after three doctors filed a judicial protest against the health ministry and the PSC, calling for the selection process to be annulled and re-launched.

The post was awarded in 2010 to Cuschieri, but the three doctors claimed that Cuschieri was not eligible to apply for the post.

Cuschieri, who is now in the UK, had his post revoked by the Public Service Commission after it was revealed he did not satisfy the criteria which requires doctors to be enrolled on the specialist register for at least two years. Allegedly, Cuschieri had then only been on the register for three months and he was chosen ahead of other doctors who had been on the register for 20 years.

Since then the criteria have been amended after an agreement was reached by the Health Division and the Medical Association of Malta (MAM).

MAM's president Martin Balzan told MaltaToday: "MAM and the Health Division have now amended the criteria to remove the grey areas and make them clearer."

Balzan however said the post has not yet been filled since the revocation of Cuschieri's appointment. "This needs to be resolved as soon as possible because it is having a detrimental consequence on patients because it is affecting the waiting list."

Balzan explained that the criteria now respect the Health Care Professions Act and will make it harder for any such instances from repeating themselves.