Nearly all allegations withdrawn - MAM

The Health Department has withdrawn practically all its allegations that 19 doctors and consultants reported late for work at St Luke's Hospital's outpatients department during a spot check, according to the Medical Association of Malta.

"We have been informed that the department has accepted the explanation of 16 doctors and consultants and withdrew the allegations - there are now just three pending cases," MAM president Stephen Fava said.

"From our investigations we feel the allegations involving these three cases are unfounded and should also be withdrawn. We do not offer protection to those who abuse the system," he said.

Director general of health Ray Busuttil confirmed that a number of the allegations had been lifted but he said a number had been upheld.

Dr Fava, flanked by vice president Patrick Sammut and council member Mario Zerafa, was yesterday addressing a press conference to give MAM's version on the spot checks conducted last month.

During an extraordinary general meeting last week, MAM resolved to call on the government to hold an official inquiry to investigate who was behind leaking information on the spot checks to the media.

The unofficial leaks were "unethical and inaccurate" and deliberately put the medical profession and the national health service in an undeservedly bad light, MAM holds.

Dr Fava explained that their investigations had revealed that contrary to the reports, only three of the 19 involved should have reported to the outpatients' department on the day of the spot checks.

"These three, who reported slightly late for work, all had a valid reason - two were involved in the final exams for medical students and the other had to accompany his wife who had a medical problem," he said.

The explanation of these three has, in fact, been accepted and the allegations withdrawn - they are not the three pending cases, he said.

Dr Fava said the 16 others had not arrived late for work because they had to carry out theatre or ward rounds, which did not normally start before 9 a.m. since nurses were bathing patients.

"It was established with the health division that ward rounds should start around 9 a.m. Flexibility is vital in this environment - it's useless having a doctor in at 8 a.m. when they have to be at the theatre at noon and then work after hours and on Sundays," he said.

Dr Fava said that if the health department wanted to impose rigidity, efficiency would suffer.

He highlighted the fact that doctors had to deal with the incredibly high volume of 300 patients a day for accident and emergency visits; over 1,000 a day in outpatients' visits; 75 operations a day and 146 daily hospital admissions.

Dr Fava said the long waiting lists were not the doctors' fault. There was no denying this fact, but doctors were doing their utmost to see as many patients as they could, despite setbacks such as missing files and X-ray results.

Doctors and consultants were doing a good job, despite the working conditions and severely depleted medical manpower, as repeatedly recognised by the World Health Organisation.

Dr Zerafa said this situation had caused unnecessary bad blood and the doctors were feeling undermined. Sadly, no date for talks between the two sides had been established to clear the air.

When asked whether doctors were giving priority to their private practice instead, Dr Zerafa said doctors had two full-time jobs to supplement their income.

Apart from that, through private practice doctors were also alleviating the burden on the public health sector and keeping waiting lists down.