It is a real pity that the sterling work that is being carried out by doctors, nurses and paramedical staff at Mater Dei Hospital is being ignored just because people who should know better are picking on the health services – for no other reason except to gain some kind of mileage.

We have had the opposition crying foul because people are made to wait for a long time before being seen to at the emergency department. What the opposition does not say is that many people go to Mater Dei Hospital for treatment when they do not need to go there.

The opposition should work hand in hand with the government to help change the mentality – people should only go to hospital when they need it, not when they can easily be seen by their family doctor or at a health centre – but it fails to do so for its own political gain.

The Labour Party has also vehemently protested because some patients wait for a few hours before being given a bed in the ward. What the PL conveniently forgets is that tests take time to be carried out. The hospital does not take any risks, and everything possible is done for the patient to be given the services required.

We have also had the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses refusing to take part in a task force that the Health Ministry wants to set up to try to find ways and means how certain difficulties are to be resolved. It is the MUMN’s duty to take part in such an exercise, and its refusal seems to be an attempt to halt the progress that is being achieved in the health sector.

The way the MUMN has handled situations in the recent past is unfortunately giving a bad name to nurses, who deserve a better leadership than the one being provided at present. While it is understandable that a union defends the interests of its members, when this goes beyond the normal issues it could lead to a perception that there are ulterior motives behind certain positions taken.

In all this hullaballoo, the incessant daily work that is being carried out in all sections of Mater Dei Hospital is being forgotten. Here, doctors, nurses and paramedical staff are doing their duties with the utmost diligence, efficiency and commitment.

It is a pity that the behaviour of the opposition and the MUMN is throwing so much bad light on people who are dedicated to just one thing – the well-being of the patients under their care.