According to the commissioner, elderly St Vincent de Paul Hospital patients were being left unwashed for days as a result of union directives.
The same union has ordered its members not to help patients move around, and the resulting pressure sores cause significant inconvenience and loss of dignity , he added. Another union has 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, the commissioner said.
Despite such industrial action, ministries do not seem too much bothered because months have passed since discussions were initiated , Messina added.
Unions using patients as pawns to pressure authorities, health commissioner warns maltatoday.com.mt - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from maltatoday.com.mt Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Planning Commission on Wednesday gave its green light for the development of a brand-new outpatients block at Mater Dei hospital, which will cover the area in front of the present mortuary and the dysfunctional helipad which was turned into a parking area.
The five-storey building will include an underground multi-storey car park to cater for 658 car parking spaces as well as an underground bus terminus. Only just over a third of the total floor area will be used for clinical services. The site has a total area of 16,550 square metres.
The new outpatients block, which had been recommended for approval by the Planning Directorate, will be approximately three metres higher than the rest of the hospital building and will remove the traffic congestion around the hospital’s entrance.