Two hundred non-Maltese nurses and carers have started receiving Maltese language lessons as part of a program signed between Healthmark and Melita Training and Resources Management. 

The training covers Maltese words and phrases related to patient care, hygiene, first aid and emotional support, with a special focus on empathy and effective communication. The program includes various practical sessions in simulated environments and is being delivered in Malta by a qualified nurse who is a teacher by profession. 

Of those 200 students, 150 are nurses who are sometimes in charge of wards and who therefore most need to be able to understand patients speaking Maltese. The other 50 spots were given to carers on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Healthmark recruits, trains and deploys carers and nurses to several of Malta’s hospitals and elderly homes. Jointly owned by db Group and James Caterers, it is the country’s single largest healthcare employer. 

MTRM is a private company within the General Workers Union licensed and accredited for training by Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA). 

Its mission is to provide adults with educational opportunities to acquire and improve the necessary skills and competencies to become self-sufficient and gainfully occupied.

Healthmark CEO Charlotte Sant Portanier said the company strived to ensure it provided enough workers to meet Malta’s healthcare demands.

“But alongside that we must make sure that every worker is not just qualified but also sensitive to our local environment and the needs of our patients,” she said.

MTRM CEO Lewis Spiteri said the programme was already making an impact on healthcare services and thanked Healthmark for bringing the programme to fruition.