Union directives restricting blood drawing at Mater Dei have finally been lifted, over eight months since they were ordered by the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN). 

In comments to Times of Malta, union chief Paul Pace, who had been adamant throughout it was the government’s fault the action lasted so long, confirmed the strike had ended.

“We have suspended the strike after the government came forward with a proper offer,” Pace said. The union is now in the process of communicating the offer to its members although Pace said that as a gesture of goodwill, the action was suspended even before the meetings.   

“The proposal put forward by the government finally makes sense,” Pace said. 

Government sources told Times of Malta the MUMN was given an ultimatum in recent weeks that left the union with no other option but to drop its directives. 

In recent weeks, the government and the union had repeatedly locked horns over the issue. At one point, Health Minister Chris Fearne had claimed the dispute had been resolved and so the action should be dropped. But the union disagreed, saying the two sides had not met in months. 

What was the action about?

Phlebotomists - healthcare professionals who draw patients' blood - were ordered to limit the number of patients they were allowed to see every day, resulting in patients, including many elderly people, being turned away daily. 

Health sources had described how the action had led to chaos in the hospital's outpatients' department. Patients also told Times of Malta they would regularly turn up at Mater Dei at the crack of dawn only to be turned away and told that they would have to come back another time. 

The issue was also a headache for doctors awaiting patients' results, with many often warning their patients they might have to reschedule appointments because they have yet to have their blood drawn for further tests.