Effective professional inquiries

The constitutional court recently dismissed the Medical Council of Malta’s procedures against MP Stephen Spiteri.

This is an inauspicious start for the shadow minister, who has publicly appeared in the media defending his position against professional misconduct investigations. Aside from the legal ramifications this has on Malta’s professionals and the dozens of pending cases, this leaves an indelible mark on the opposition member responsible for health. Peers and constituents will keep querying whether their opposition representative has broken the parliamentary or professional codes of conduct and whether further probes should be carried out.

Health is a private affair with possible personal and devastating repercussions. We should expect better from professionals making life-changing decisions in bigger arenas and the case in question does not set a good example.

The law needs to change as soon as possible to ensure proper regulation that is well-funded, more autonomous and has the necessary number of personnel to handle the work professional bodies must do. 

MP Stephen Spiteri defended his position against professional misconduct investigations.

The United Kingdom’s General Medical Council (GMC) faced similar predicaments from the 1970s to the 1990s when changes had to be made to update the manner in which cases were heard following public inquiries.

A vital episode that influenced the GMC’s reform was the setting up of an independent committee inquiring how the regulation of the medical profession could be changed and providing recommendations on how it could function effectively. 

This became known as the Merrison Committee and the findings were reported in the British Medical Journal (1975, Issue no. 2, pages 183-188). Sir Donald Irvine, a previous leader of the British Medical Profession, describes the GMC’s changes following a series of general inquiries in his book Medical Professionalism and the Public Interest. He references an episode when a medical professional was let off without any significant repercussions after the death of a child, Alfie Winn, when he failed to identify evident signs of serious illness. This was followed by another high-profile Bristol inquiry requested by parents, where three doctors were found guilty of misconduct. Two doctors were struck off the register for failure to report malpractice by a colleague and a third was banned for three years from performing child heart surgery.

The long-standing delay in professional inquiries harms the profession’s reputation and the public’s health and trust. Urgent reforms must be carried out on how professional bodies conduct their investigations and what changes must be made to improve the current legislation and infrastructure, lest the situation remains like what the FIAU faced a few years ago.

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore, the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

Ian Baldacchino – member, Medical Council of Malta, Birżebbuġa

Planning Authority responsibilities

The article ‘Obituary for beautiful Malta’ (September 5) makes some serious allegations and insinuations against the now-defunct Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) and, by extension, the Planning Authority (PA).

Contrary to what is being alleged in the opinion piece, the PA’s development permission application processes are rigorous and transparent. Among other measures, there are publicly available documents of every application submitted before the PA, as well as Planning Commission and Planning Board meetings,  which are open to the public, ensuring a transparent decision-making process.

The article also suggested that the PA investigate the developers’ sources of funds; however, the ownership of the applicant’s property and the origins of their wealth fall outside the PA’s responsibilities. This is even more so when the applicant may not necessarily be the owner or the developer of the site featured in the permit. 

Ray De Bono – PR and marketing adviser, Planning Authority – Floriana