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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 OCTOBER 2017 Opinion 26 The study by St Luke's Hospital's infection control unit which revealed a lack of hand hygiene among doctors, recorded its lowest levels among obste- tricians and gynaecologists. According to a series of 27 observa- tions carried out among senior obste- tricians and gynaecologists, consult- ants washed their hands in only 3.7% of cases before, and after patient contact. Worse still were senior registrars, with 0% compliance from eight observations both before and after patient contact. The findings confirmed the low level of hand hygiene among doctors at St Luke's Hospital, and the potential this had on increasing the high incidence of the MRSA superbug. The observations were part of a total of 898 direct observations by medical students who 'spied' on doctors who were not aware of the precise nature of the study. And the results were shocking: only in 22.7% of the observations were senior doctors and their juniors seen washing their hands before examining their patients, and only in 33.5% of the cases after contact. On average, from the total of 71 observations carried out in obstetrics, doctors were seen washing their hands in 9.9% of cases before patient contact – and then in just 11.3% after patient contact. The highest rate of handwashing was unsurprisingly in surgical specialties with 45.6% before patient contact, and 59.5% after contact. Consultants from general surgery and surgical special- ties had the highest rates of compli- ance, 35.2% before patient contact, and 63.6% after patient contact. Hand hygiene is universally rec- ognised as "the leading measure" to prevent and reduce Methicillin-resist- ant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the most feared multidrug-resistant superbug which contributes to increase infections and deaths in busy hospitals. The low incidence of handwashing standards – later claimed to be due to a lack of handwashing facilities or alcohol rubs in St Luke's Hospital – was a contributing factor to the high level of MRSA at the hospital, doctors conducting the research study said. The study, carried out by doctors Sarah Chetcuti, Maxine Montefort, Elizabeth Scicluma and Michael Borg, covered 192 doctors – 48 of St Luke's four-person firms (from a total of 75) – who were monitored by 60 medical students between 9.00am and 11.00am between November 2005 and February 2006. It was the first time a study of this nature had been carried. Although consultants of every firm were in- formed of the study, the precise nature was not disclosed. But the doctors said the low levels of handwashing were due too the lack of facilities such as wash-hand basins, soap and water, and alcohol – a state of affairs that is expected to change at the new Mater Dei hospital. "A large increase in compliance was observed when facilities were avail- able in the immediate working vicinity. Besides making hand hygiene facilities more available throughout the hospi- tal, these should also be easily acces- sible and clearly visible as both factors have also been found to increase com- pliance to hand hygiene practices." Mater Dei will have a wash basin and alcohol rubs in every room, doctors said. But as the results of the observations showed, doctors seemed to be less aware of the risk of hand contamina- tion before patient contact, that is contamination from the environment before doctors examine patients. In comments to The Times after the results of the study were first pub- lished in MaltaToday Midweek, Dr Michael Borg said Malta's incidence of MRSA was roughly the same as Britain. On his part, secretary general of the Medical Association of Malta, Martin Balzan pointed his finger at over- crowding in St Luke's, while the presi- dent of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, Paul Pace, claimed the burden on nurses was so big that they were "too busy" to wash their hands. Send your letters to: The Editor, MaltaToday, MediaToday Ltd. Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 | Fax: (356) 21 385075 E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt. Letters to the Editor should be concise. No pen names are accepted. News – 31 October, 2007 Following the article published in MaltaToday on 11 October (Vatican left contrite in offshore scandal with Malta at its heart), Optimum Asset Management notes: 1. Futura Fund SICAV, the bond sole subscriber, has sued the real estate company Maiora Group spa, the bond issuer, at the Tribunale di Bari (the Bari Court) to ensure the repayment of such bond in due time. 2. If reference is made to Optimum-Ad Maiora (a fund of funds), there has been no loss in such fund. On the contrary, the investment in Ad Maiora (a fund of funds) was profitable: as such it was exited generating a total return for the investor (IOR) in excess of 7%. 3. The lawsuit initiated by the IOR regards Futura-Kappa (a real estate fund), which invested in 2013 with the objective to acquire, refurbish, reposition and sell the Budapest Exchange Palace, one of the most prestig- ious buildings in the Hungarian capital. The IOR entered into contractual commitments to invest €41 million. Nonetheless, it only invested €17 million and is, therefore, clearly in default on the remaining €24 million. We are suing the IOR in Malta for breach of contract. 4. Optimum and the funds it managed did not participate in any activity aimed at increasing or supporting the value of the shares of Banca Popolare di Vice- nza. Optimum is not involved in any investigation related to Banca Popolare di Vicenza. Andrea Suriano Optimum Asset Management Luxembourg Study reveals low hygiene among doctors Optimum Ad Maiora fund generated positive returns A pantheon of saints Old establishment is still holding power inside PN As the Catholic Church com- memorates All Saints Day, we are reminded that the Church has "patron saints" for everything, just as ancient Rome had gods for everything. The ancient Greeks had a pantheon of gods, just as the Catholic Church has a pantheon of saints. In Religion and the Decline of Magic, Keith Thomas explains how the Protestant Reformation attempted to rid Christianity of the superstitions of the Catholic Church and to take magic out of religion. And in his book A Calendar of Saints, James Bentley lists the "saints" in the Catholic pantheon, including Abdon, Acca, Begga, Botolph, Berikjesus, Cantius, Cantianus and Cantian- ella, Chrodegang, Mawes, Sennen, Sozon, Ethelburga, Notburga, Guthlac, Wulfstan, Waudru and Walburga. "Relics had become wonder-working fetishes" and the use "of ecclesiastical talismans and amulets was encouraged by the Church." In Reformation England, "the idea of praying to saints was regarded as reprehensible... Millers had St Arnold, cobblers had St Crispin, and toothdrawers had St Apolline. St Roch was good at the plague, and St Petronill for the ague. For madmen and those possessed by the devil, there was St Romane. For botches and biles, Saints Cosmas and Damian; St Clare for the eyes; and St Agatha for sore breasts." John Guillaumier St Julian's The PN and its leaders, the official one – Adrian Delia – and de factor leader Simon Busuttil, have a very big dilemma facing them. It has been reported – and the PN has not officially denied this – Delia is facing a rebellion within his parlia- mentary group. It has been said that these rebel MPs are mulling a vote of no confidence in Delia within the parliamentary group in order to force him to resign from opposition leader. The big dilemma is this. The PN had boasted of being the first politi- cal party to elect its leader by the card-carrying members of the party and not by the councillors. If the PN's rebel MPs have their way and Adrian Delia is forced to resign as opposition leader, and subsequently from PN leader, this would be negating the democratic vote of PN members! If the rebel MPs succeed in ousting Adrian De- lia from the leadership of the party, there exists the possibility of a split within the PN and a new party is formed, since it is very clear that the "old establishment" still holds power and will not allow anyone to take away that power from them! Eddy Privitera Mosta Church, State separation policy and other reasons for moral decline The confinement of the religious sphere and its values to the purely private sphere in Malta may have come about because of the excessive emphasis on, and wrong implemen- tation of, the much vaunted Church and State separation policy. For the man in the street this could mean that religion has no place in the public arena or that morality derived from religion should not be permitted to shape our laws as, in fact, happened when the divorce and civil union bills were enacted. Meanwhile secularists have managed to monopolise the shared space of society with their own lay views. Another reason for the moral decadence could be the feel-good factor and social progress engaged in by our society. I once read in an English paper that it is not Marx that dented the Christian heritage there but Marks and Spencer. That great steps have been taken towards the betterment of our national economy and standard of living is a fact that cannot be denied but we are still a nation of festoons, statues, band marches, meetings and fireworks. In the meantime we have neglected our appreciation of the moral and human values sustaining our Christian heritage dating back two millenniums. The fabric of the nation is splitting at the seams, its precious nucleus – our moral core- is being ruptured. Almost every type of crime is up. Let's hope and pray that with im- mediate effect the Church and State relationship is more orientated to- wards Catholic moral and religious convictions. The Mater et Magistra is certainly a most experienced connoisseur of human and spiritual needs and exi- gencies and its expert advice should never be ignored. I think that it would be wise if the Church is consulted and heeded once again when the IVF issue and other sensitive moral matters are brought up for debate in parlia- ment. John Azzopardi Zabbar