Nurses and other staff at Mater Dei Hospital will be able to opt for a food allowance at the hospital if negotiations underway between the Health Ministry and the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) conclude successfully.

According to the president of the union, Paul Pace, the directives were suspended in the hope of an agreement coming into effect on January 1.

As part of the arrangement, nurses would have the choice to receive a daily food allowance of approximately €5 instead of the twice-daily meals they are offered at the hospital.

Mr Pace said the possibility of individual nurses and staff members reverting back to the free meals system every six months was also discussed in the negotiations.

Earlier this month, a number of operations were postponed at Mater Dei as nurses took part in partial strike action in protest at the quality of food they were being offered while on duty.

Nurses were instructed not to accompany patients into operating theatres by the MUMN, which was demanding meal allowances as an alternative to food offered at the canteen.

This will incentivise contractor to improve the quality of meals

Mr Pace said this allowance worked out to roughly the same amount of money the caterers were being paid per client in their per capita budget.

“Instead of the contractor being paid, what will happen is the money will go to the nurses. This won’t cost the government more, and it will incentivise the contractor to improve the quality of meals.”

Ivan Falzon, the CEO of Mater Dei Hospital, had told Times of Malta the hospital spent €4 per person on food available at the staff canteen.

While he said the canteen food wasn’t perfect, he shed light on the fact that the number of people making use of it in recent years had shot up to around 1,300.

The MUMN had been heavily criticised by its members for not doing anything about the poor quality of food they were given at the hospital canteen, Mr Pace had said.

He also added that while people were under the impression that the hospital was doing its employees a favour by giving them free food, it was actually standard procedure in developed countries for both doctors and nurses who worked long shifts to be provided with such meals.