Doctors’ union boss Martin Balzan is going to war against the government because he did not qualify for a promotion at Mater Dei Hospital, the Health Minister alleged on Saturday.
Jo Etienne Abela made the claim after Balzan said during Andrew Azzopardi’s radio show that the public sector rules were not being followed during interviews for promotions.
“In the case of a department’s deputy head, the wrong procedure was used,” Balzan said. “Civil service heads say we are right but want us to alert the Public Service Commission. It’s their job [to do so],” the union boss said.
The Public Service Commission is an independent public body tasked with staffing and discipline in the public service.
In a brief radio call-in immediately after Balzan’s intervention, the minister said Balzan had cited his own personal case as a union gripe.
“Dr Balzan was speaking about himself," the minister said. "In 2014 he was appointed deputy head of a department following an interview. It was three-year role. From 2017 onwards, no interview was conducted. Recently, one was held and he [Balzan] did poorly. And now he is objecting."
“If a candidate does poorly in an interview, he is the one that must complain to the Public Service Commission. And Dr Balzan did so,” Abela said.
Abela said he has also offered to order an independent inquiry led by a retired judge of Balzan’s choosing into the medical post and the way it was filled.
“This isn’t an issue concerning doctors, it’s a personal one,” he said.
The minister had alluded to the personal clash last week when MAM first announced directives instructing doctors at Mater Dei Hospital’s emergency department not to refer any patients to private hospitals.
Those directives came just days after the Health Ministry said a €14 million deal to send Mater Dei patients to three private hospitals was coming into effect. The deal is intended to ease overcrowding pressures at Mater Dei.
MAM said the terms of a 2017 deal bind the government to obtain the union’s prior approval before any patients can be outsourced to the private sector.
The minister said a “core group” within the union was out to “settle personal grudges”.
The union had responded by saying the minister was resorting to “personal and very unprofessional attacks” and that it was trying to protect doctors and patients from “haphazard decisions by management”.
MAM challenges minister to give opinion on vitals-steward debacle
In response to Abela's comments, Balzan said the union is not surprised at Abela's outbursts, which corroborates with the reasons why the MAM delegation walked out of the meeting.
"Morality requires that signed agreements are respected if that is the standard," Balzan said.
MAM challenged the minister to publicly give his opinion on the vitals-steward debacle and lecture again on morality.
"Currently, there is 100% support for directives by doctors in emergency and health centre doctors will all be obeying directives on Wednesday. The MAM will deal with other issues in other sectors once this dispute is over."