GWU protests over nurses' shortage at Mount Carmel

The General Workers' Union has strongly protested with the health division over the alleged serious lack of nurses at Mount Carmel Hospital.

In a letter by the GWU's section secretary for the public sector, Josephine Attard Sultana, to the director of the hospitals' health division section, the GWU said the lack of nurses was evident in a number of halls including the juvenile ward, male ward six, male ward seven and female ward eight.

Ms Sultana said that on a number of occasions the nursing aides would have to assume full responsibility of a ward when nursing aides were only meant to assist nurses.

The GWU said the situation was serious and it was also affecting the vacation leave of hospital employees as there was a great shortage of staff. On some occasions, the GWU said, workers were also being called to report to work when they were on leave.

The GWU also noted that nurses at Mount Carmel who were reaching retirement age or decided to resign were not being replaced. The union called on the health authorities to remedy the situation without further delay.

The GWU said that now that a group of qualified nurses have just qualified, it was important that a number of these nurses be assigned to the hospital for the situation to improve.