Unions and the public administration should do their utmost to resolve disputes with "the least possible delay especially when patients are involved", the Health Commissioner has urged.
He observed in a report that a dispute between the two sides resulted in Karen Grech Hospital having 200 beds vacant while Mater Dei Hospital "was bursting at the seams" in a time of crisis.
In his notes for the annual Ombudsman's report, Health Commissioner Charles Messina said it was not fair for unions to use patients "as a pawn in order to press for their demands".
"Notwithstanding the negative approach taken by the union, the public administration should do its utmost to resolve disputes with the least possible delay especially when patients were involved," Messina said.
The Commissioner found out about the 200 empty beds while investigating a complaint by a patient's husband who claimed his wife did not receive any treatment for a period of six weeks. This, he said, had seriously affected her rehabilitation.
According to the complaint, the woman was taken to the Admission Ward at Karin Grech Hospital which, at the time was under quarantine because of COVID-19. The quarantine period lasted six weeks because the ward had to remain closed every time an infected patient was admitted.
Relatives could not visit while staff from outside the wards could not attend to the patients.
At the time there was also industrial action by the Allied Health Professionals Union, which represents physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
The industrial action had been going on for the previous six weeks, during which period patients could not be transferred from one ward to another, the complainant said.
"During this industrial action there were about 200 unoccupied beds at Karin Grech Hospital, meaning that all the staff was practically idle," according to the Commissioner's notes.
The case findings also revealed that the industrial action had lasted over two months, with the union claiming there had not been any feedback from the Health Ministry during this period.
The industrial action was lifted soon after the investigations by the Commissioner kicked off after a solution was found.