Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/884700
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2017 4 News Health ministry intervenes after patients decry hopeless situation TVAM kept in-house after PBS board CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 UPON visiting the ward an d see- ing with his own eyes the unsuitable conditions of the wards – which also made delivery of services in- adequate – Fearne ordered that the ward be closed. "Refurbishment is currently un- derway in another area at the hospi- tal, which is still close to the female section," he said. The area in question used to offer long term care to geriatric patients, who have now been placed in a number of wards where space was available. The works are expected to be completed within a few weeks, with promises to close down ward 8 for good. Following the patients' letter, Mal- taToday had also reached out to Mental Health Services chairman Anton Grech. The patients had complained of an open toilet, no breakfast service and begging for tea or coffee. "Patients who have serious stom- ach or liver problems have to drink black coffee, and no food is served until 11:45," the patients wrote. "Staff take advantage of [the locked gate] by ignoring us, leav- ing us knocking for ages, just to ask for some sugar. The food is always either chicken or meatballs with seriously overcooked potatoes and vegetables. We were told that the food is mush because of the elderly patients who can't chew their food. "We are given medication, some of which is with the intention to sedate patients in order for them to 'shut up'. We never get any fresh air whatsoever, and non-smokers have to live with six or more smokers. We have been asking for a Sunday newspaper for ages, but even that was denied." They also said that medication is rarely on time, while "most people end up with a long list of tranquil- lizers and addictive pills, such as diazepam." In reply to a series of questions by this newspaper based on these com- plaints, Grech's full reply read: "Ward 8 at Mount Carmel Hos- pital was recently temporarily reopened following an increase in clients with substance abuse prob- lems. The direction from the Health Ministry to the authorities at Mount Carmel are to relocate the patients from ward 8 into another ward and close down ward 8 completely. In fact structural works are currently being undertaken to refurbish an- other area at Mount Carmel which can be used as a comprehensive Dual Diagnosis Ward." The problems at Mount Carmel Hospital are not restricted to ward 8: the hospital is old and unable to cater for the demand. Fearne said it was the govern- ment's plan to start the construc- tion of a new acute mental care hospital next to Mater Dei, in this legislature. Once the new hospital is operational, Mt Carmel will house long-term patients who are unable to live on their own and who require special and dedicated treatment. Asked when the hospital will get a CEO, Fearne said that the contract of the current acting CEO – sur- geon Kevin Schembri – expires in November. "A decision will be tak- en whether to extend the contract or to appoint someone else." Schembri, a resident specialist at Mater Dei's cardiothoracic surgery, was appointed acting CEO follow- ing the post that was vacated by now parliamentary secretary Clifton Grima. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bundy did not reply to questions sent by MaltaToday by email and SMS as to why the programmes were being shifted to the Time- care studios, and what the cost- benefit was to take the shows out of TVM's studios. A source told MaltaToday that the farm-outs had not been vetted by the PBS financial controller. The board meeting that dis- cussed the matter was also left with an inconclusive reply as to why PBS wanted to pay a private studio to produce shows that had previously been recorded in- house. The PBS board has now agreed to appoint an ad hoc inquiry to determine Bundy's culpability in an alleged breach of procurement rules. The independent inquiry will establish the extent to which PBS procurement rules were breached on Bundy's watch, when an un- precedented eight-year car leas- ing contract was signed without any vetting from the procurement manager. It will also provide an independ- ent avenue for ascertaining wheth- er Bundy should be sacked, after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said last week it was up to the PBS board to take that decision. A €500,000 car-leasing deal, which included Bundy's own company car, was never green-lit by the board of directors. The is- sue had only been raised at board level back on 18 January, 2017, when Bundy referred to the PBS car fleet. "[He] noted that the cars were now old. He had sought ad- vice on whether to buy new cars or go for leasing, and found that it was cheaper to go for leasing," minutes of a recent meeting, seen by MaltaToday, said. Bundy was said to have used a procurement method only em- ployed for minor purchases, by obtaining three quotations from leasing suppliers. The person ac- tually responsible for procure- ment, corporate services manager Edmund Tabone, and financial controller Brian Grech, were com- pletely side-lined. The directors have already car- ried out a secret vote that deliv- ered a unanimous verdict of no confidence in Bundy, which was communicated to PBS chairman Tonio Portughese. Bundy was installed in his posi- tion without any formal call for applications for CEO, after the departure of Anton Attard, on a four-year contract. In their letter to Portughese, the board said they had convened to discuss the way Bundy "had, on several occasions, ignored the board of directors and taken deci- sions which required the approval of the board". The board said it considered Bundy's attitude towards the PBS directors as one that showed a lack of respect. "Worse than that, it shows a lack of awareness of what the relation- ship should be between the CEO and the board of directors, which in terms of the law have enormous personal responsibility for eve- rything that happens in the com- pany." The directors said they were also faced with legal threats from companies when they attempted to reverse Bundy's "arbitrary deci- sions". "These decisions were presented to the board as a fait accompli, and the directors were faced with threats of legal action against them personally and the company." The directors said they could no longer tolerate the situation and declared they had no faith in Bundy. John Bundy