Our nurses and midwives working in the various hospitals are the backbone of any health care service. Such workers are considered as angels in some countries.

As Europeans we have deviated from our proper scope of practice. Besides our European and Mediterranean mentality, stress related to our work has taken a significant toll on our perception to the job we have to do.

I personally see a culture difference between the nurses and midwives qualifying today and the nurses and midwives who qualified in my days – 22 years ago. The perception of nursing and midwives in today’s technological world has changed the dimensions of us nurses and midwives.

Nursing and midwifery have definitely become much more specialised, much more academic-oriented and much more demanding. All these conditions have actually moulded our work to meet more the physical needs of the patient than his actual physiological needs.

It hurts when the general public comments on the lack of attention given to their loved ones. Some may be justified, but most are unjust. The pressures and amount of work to be accomplished in a day’s work make us nurses and midwives seem a bit rough. Our daily chores do not allow for us to listen to people’s concerns and worries. Do not get me wrong. I sincerely believe in the holistic approach, but our nurses and midwives have to prioritise to cope with all of the patients’ needs.

Recruitment and retention

The issue of the 36 students who had all the necessary qualifications to enter the diploma course at the university this year but still where refused entry is a scandal to our profession and to our country. This clearly shows how much the University of Malta is insensitive to the country’s needs and to the nursing profession itself.

I would have expected the health division or the central government itself to actually voice its concerns and apply the necessary pressure to address such problems. But, strange as it may seem, the two main institutions fell silent in the face of such a scandal.

It was only the MUMN which protested, and pointed out that with the projections the government of Dr Lawrence Gonzi in the health sector, the country, or better still the university, could not afford not to allow young people to join the profession. MUMN has always been the main voice of all nurses and midwives and any concerns and evaluations which my union has made, always proved to be correct.

MUMN held various meetings on this issue, including one with the Education Ministry. The union was instrumental in increasing the numerus clausus of the diploma course from 30 students to 50 students. Also, the union helped to increase the stipend of the Bse students to the highest level offered by the university.

I would have therefore expected the government to investigate the mechanism at the Institute of Healthcare especially in light of the fact that to maintain our health care system, foreign nurses have to be recruited. The awkward situation in this scenario is that on one hand the university is closing its doors to certain nurses while on the other hand the government has to recruit foreign nurses to support its current services. Something is definitely wrong. MUMN will not accept more than 100 foreign nurses and these nurses should be an interim measure, not a long-term solution.

The reason why, as a union, we had to accept the government proposal for foreign nurses as a short-term solution is not to allow more nurses and midwives to suffer at their work place. When we suffer, so do our patients. So our main obligations are towards the patients who are entrusted to our care. As MUMN president, I believe that we still live in a homogenous society – predominately with one language, one religion and one culture and that the Maltese nurses and midwives are the ideal people to address our nation’s health needs.

MUMN has finally finalised a packet of incentives with the government. I would like to thank all those who participated, including the government representatives, since any agreement reached is a result of the ideas and the work of both parties involved. Every issue and every aspect which can relieve the nurse and midwifery shortage has been taken into consideration during our talks. As a union we have remained loyal to the nurses and midwives wishes, using our skills to get the best package of incentives ever. I should make it clear that this package of incentives cannot solve our problems overnight but its effect would be more felt in the long-term.

It is a therefore a great pity that although the government is now fully aware of the crisis in the nursing and midwifery profession, certain institutions, such as the University of Malta, seems to be prioritising their agenda to their own needs and not to the country’s actual needs. If the university does not have the set up to address the nation’s needs, then it should submit its recommendations to the government to upgrade the necessary resources so as not to refuse any nursing and midwifery students into the profession in next year’s academic intake. If resources are not the issue, MUMN expects the government to evaluate the setup within the Institute of Health care and bring up tangible results to allow more students into the courses.

If the university problems are not resolved, MUMN will be left with no alternative but not to allow any new services within the health sector which the government has planned for the coming years. MUMN has a responsibility to address the nurses and patients needs. The challenges facing the health division are not in expanding new health services, but maintaining the service we provide to the nation.

Paul Pace is the president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses