Nurses' union call for help from the public deemed 'alarmist'

The union of Midwives and Nurses is appealing to volunteers and relatives to give a helping hand to nurses caring for patients in the medical wards of St Luke's Hospital.

In a statement issued yesterday, the union said the problem of overcrowding in these wards had reached such proportions that the nurses could not keep up with their professional job to care for patients.

On February 5 the union had issued directives ordering nurses to stop carrying out administrative work to allow them to dedicate more time to their patients, but despite this, they could still not keep up with the workload.

"The union can issue more directives, but it feels that at this moment it would be more opportune to call on the public to give a helping hand," it said.

"In such difficult circumstances we are appealing to relatives and volunteers to help the nurses in odd jobs such as distributing tea to the patients," the union said.

"The union also wants to preserve the privacy of patients who are lying in corridors or in the middle of other wards. This is extremely degrading and the union is also appealing to anybody who owns bed screens to bring them to St Luke's," it said.

In a counter-statement the Health Division deplored the unjustified alarm being generated by the MUMN and called on the public not to heed the union's appeal.

"Having the public come to the wards will only cause chaos and hinder the nurses from carrying out their duties," it said.

The problem with overcrowded wards in the cold winter months is not something that is happening this year or just in Malta, it said.

The division wanted to put people's mind at rest that the situation was under control and assured the public it was working to tackle the problem of overcrowding which intensified in the cold winter months.

In winter there was an increase in respiratory illnesses and cases of flu. These in turn also affected the nurses who fell ill leading to a shortage of staff.