Nurses arriving from third countries will soon be training in a ward simulator complete with mannequins and hospital beds.  

Health Minister Chris Fearne unveiled the mock ward on Monday. The facility will help foreign nurses top up their qualifications and practice in the country. 

The simulator includes several hospital beds, complete with the tools, and technology found in wards. 

“While the government continues to offer jobs to all newly qualified nurses from the University of Malta and MCAST, more nurses are needed,” Fearne said.

Many come from outside the European Union, he said.

The simulator is in Idea Academy, a private institution that offers 17 healthcare-related courses including a nursing studies diploma and a nursing “top-up degree”.

The health minister said that investing in health professionals' training facilities was key to a functioning health system.  New technologies help but only complement the people who make hospitals function, he said.

“A hospital is completely dependant on its professionals,” he said.  

Nurses in training should not practice on real patients when possible, the minister added. 

Nurses leaving the profession

The minister said the government was promoting nursing locally and attracting nurses from abroad. 

The Nurses union (MUMN) and the government actively and jointly promoted nursing in schools, and career fairs, while publishing employment calls in third countries, he said.