A health professional has filed a judicial protest calling for the annulment of the selection processes for the appointment of chief nursing managers at Mater Dei and Gozo hospitals.

Isabelle Aquilina said in her protest that as a nursing professional with a tertiary level of education and “excellent experience” in the field, she had applied for the posts, expressing willingness to work both at Mater Dei Hospital and Gozo General Hospital.

She was an eligible candidate, having also furthered her studies abroad.

The selection process was handled by a board composed of the same members for both managerial posts which were “identical though distinct.” The distinction stemmed from the fact that one post related to Mater Dei, whereas the other related to the Gozo hospital. The board members included the permanent secretary of the Health Ministry.

The results of that selection process were published on July 2.

That same day, Aquilina said she filed a judicial letter formally complaining to the relative authorities about the “very surprising” results.

But that judicial letter was completely ignored.

She pointed out that in respect of the Mater Dei post, she had placed seventh out of 14 candidates.

She placed fourth out of eight candidates who had applied for the identical post at the Gozo Hospital.

Aquilina said that she deemed that ranking to be “unjust and arbitrary.”

But even more surprising was the fact that the candidate who placed first for the Gozo post ranked low in the parallel results for the Mater Dei post.

Such a ranking was not only “totally vitiated and contradictory” but also gave rise to a “serious anomaly,” she argued.

Such “black on white” evidence meant that the selection process ought to be declared null, argued Aquilina.

The judicial protest was made against the Public Service Commission and the Permanent Secretary at the Health Ministry. 

Lawyer Michael Tanti-Dougall signed the judicial protest.