Dentists have raised concerns about a “highly unsafe” practice that sees non-EU professionals being hired at Mater Dei Hospital without having to go through a traditional vetting procedure.
Times of Malta is informed that, as of recently, non-EU nationals are no longer being asked to sit for an exam to assess their skills and ascertain they are safe to work on patients before being warranted.
The association is totally against this lack of vetting for patient safety reasons- Dental Association of Malta
Dentists believe this “fast-tracking” is being done to fill gaps in the public sector, where there is a shortage of dentists.
The Dental Association of Malta told Times of Malta that skipping this exam is “highly unsafe” and, if Maltese and EU dentists are required to be of a certain professional standard to treat a patient, non-EU nationals should be similarly vetted.
The Council of European Dentists has also warned that the need for high-quality dental care must not be undermined under any circumstances, including in situations where “a simplified recognition at national level is intended to combat shortages of dentists”.
Dental surgeons are granted a warrant to work in Malta following the approval of at least two out of three dental representatives on the Malta Medical Council. Their recommendation is then sent to the President of the Republic, who, in turn, issues the warrant.
Qualifications across the EU are harmonised and recognised across the bloc, meaning the council just needs to verify the qualification and issue the recommendation to the president.
'Fast tracking to fill gaps'
However, when it comes to non-EU graduates, the candidates are asked to sit for a theory and practical exam that University of Malta Master of Dental Surgery students also sit for.
Sources told Times of Malta that failure to pass these exams has, in the past, stopped individuals from being registered as dental practitioners.
However, on at least three occasions in recent weeks, non-EU nationals have been listed on the Healthcare Professions’ Act Medical Council Dental Register – Temporary list without sitting for the exam. Following three years on this temporary list, they can be listed, upon request, on the Healthcare Professions’ Act Medical Council Dental Register – Principal list and can work anywhere in the EU.
European dentists strongly believe that the safety of our patients and the need for high-quality dental care must not be undermined under any circumstances- Council of European Dentists
Senior dentists told Times of Malta that, in the case of dentists, the temporary list is usually used to register highly qualified dental professionals who are headhunted to temporarily lecture in Malta. It is also used to temporarily register dentistry students undergoing training programmes that require treating patients under the constant supervision of a specialist.
The Dental Association of Malta believes the council is therefore using this temporary register to circumvent the exam benchmark for non-EU dental practitioners, “fast-tracking” their warranting through just an interview in order to fill gaps at Mater Dei.
Hospital dentists drop from 35 to six
A spokesperson for the association said the number of general dentists employed at Mater Dei has dropped from 35 to just six over six years. Local graduates are no longer interested in working within the public sector in the absence of an attractive career progression and pay.
“The association is totally against this lack of vetting for patient safety reasons. We also believe it to be discriminatory against Maltese and EU graduates who are vetted through harmonised training and exams and we are concerned that such temporary registration is a stepping stone to work in other EU countries.”
When contacted, the Council of European Dentists told Times of Malta the association had alerted it to this “concerning development”.
“CED delegates, representing dental chambers and associations from across the EU, agreed that the recognition of dental qualifications obtained outside the bloc must be carried out in full accordance with the applicable EU requirements (Directive 2005/36 EC) before a dentist may start practising dentistry for the first time in the European Union,” a spokesperson said.
“European dentists strongly believe that the safety of our patients and the need for high-quality dental care must not be undermined under any circumstances. This applies even in situations where a simplified recognition at national level is intended to combat shortages of dentists, as is arguably the case in Malta.”
The council’s president, Freddie Sloth-Lisbjerg, added that the CED stood with its Maltese colleagues.
“By arguing against the simplified recognition of qualifications, Maltese dentists are protecting not only patients in Malta but patients across the EU from admitting potentially underqualified dentists to the EU labour market and jeopardising the existing high levels of safety and quality in European dentistry,” he said.
Number of new dental graduates limited by numerus clausus
The Health Ministry said in reply to questions that third-country dental surgeons are only allowed to work in Malta if they fulfil the conditions for registration, and are registered by the competent authority, which is the Medical Council.
It said that in 2019, a sectoral agreement covering conditions of work and career progression was signed with the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin as representatives of government-employed dentists.
This agreement was now due for revision.
"Unfortunately, the University of Malta dental course remains the only course, within the health science sector, to enforce a numerus clausus, thereby limiting the number of new dental graduates per year," it said.