Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1300177
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 OCTOBER 2020 INTERVIEW PHOTO BY JAMES BIANCHI From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the main health strategy was to ensure that the healthcare system is not overloaded. We are now averaging over 100 new cases a day; and the Medical Associ- ation of Malta has warned that ITU is close to maximum capac- ity. Your union represents nurs- es – on the very frontline of the war on COVID-19 – so can you tell us what the real situation is? How close are we to being 'full up'? We're getting there. Just yes- terday, for instance, there was an article stating that the num- ber of ventilator beds in Maltese hospitals is set to go up to 100: 75 in Malta, and 25 in Gozo. But the reality is that we don't have enough trained nurses to man that number of beds. We are still very, very far from that target. This is why, as a union, we were the catalyst to get the the- atre nurses into ITU, to support the nurses there. And they need- ed support. In fact, the ITU has been running on almost full ca- pacity for some time. Now we have additional COVID areas, with extra beds. But for all the political hype, we still need to train more nurses on ventilators. It's a very specialised area, and training takes time. Besides, the situation in ITU has had a knock-on effect throughout the hospital: and people are paying a high price for it. In an ideal state, we would have been able to add more nurses in ITU, without dis- rupting the operations in other departments. There should be enough nurses in the country to allow operations to keep on going, whilst also transferring more nurses to ITU: where they are needed more. As things stand, however, we are disrupting all the waiting lists for other operations - which had already been stopped in March, because of the first COVID out- break. Now, that list is going to get bigger, and bigger, and big- ger. There is a very appropriate Maltese saying, for what is hap- pening right now. 'Tħott knis- ja, biex tibni ohra' – to build a new church, we are dismantling another one. In this case, we disrupted half of the planned surgeries in Malta, in order to address the ITU nursing crisis. And people still need operations. People suffering from hernia are still in pain… they cannot wait forever. Some people might see a con- tradiction in what you're saying, however. As a union, you also is- sued directives (which were later withdrawn) to stop nurses from administering the influenza vac- cine… … but that has nothing to do with the situation at Mater Dei. We didn't disrupt any opera- tions… Operations, perhaps not. But the MUMN was still ready to de- ny a medical service to patients, over what was ultimately a la- bour (not a medical) issue. Isn't that a case of unnecessarily bringing out the heavy guns? Let me put it this way. Nurses are on the frontline. So when the COVID outbreak started, it was a tough road for us. And I don't mean just in the sense of 'hard work'. Hard work is expected, in our line of duty. We were ready to make all the necessary sacri- fices. But this crisis brought about a new scenario. People were be- ing put into quarantine… and nurses were the largest category: at one point, there were around 1,000 nurses in quarantine. Now: quarantine means 14 days. And that, in turn, means losing the Sunday allowances. And if you also contract COV- ID-19 in your line of work: that's your sick-leave gone, too. You end up without pay. For while it is true that there is what we call 'injury on duty' leave… be- cause we are still so far behind the times, 'injury' only refers to physical harm: and not to 'con- tracting a virus'. But to get these things – and I'm not talking about gaining more money; but simply, not losing what we already had – we had to fight every step of the way. Nothing fell into our lap. And I don't blame [Health Min- ister] Chris Fearne. He works at the hospital; and therefore un- derstands us much better than others within Cabinet – or in the Civil Service – who never worked in a hospital, and there- fore have no idea what the real issues are. I'm not disputing that the prob- lems you mention exist: but was it really necessary to threaten to withhold a medical service? Everything has to be gained through directives in this coun- try. The funny thing, for exam- ple, is that when you go into a meeting to discuss such issues… no one ever tells you: 'You're wrong. We disagree'. They al- ways tell you: 'Yes, you are right. We have to evaluate this'. Then you wait a week; then another week; three weeks, four weeks… and they will still be 'evaluating it', without ever coming to a de- cision. But… people are losing money, all that time … So you felt you had to do some- thing drastic? No. That's the impression everybody got; but it's not the case at all. The truth is that, when it came to issuing allow- ances… I don't know why, but all of Malta got their allowances: except the people who work in primary healthcare; the people on the front-line. All the same, we did not start Common sense has not Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has been under fire for issuing directives for nurses not to administer the inf luenza vaccine. But president PAUL PACE argues that government's intransigence – coupled with a nursing emergency – left the union with no choice