Nurses have not being given any form of preparation or drilling in case a patient tests positive for the Coronavirus, Paul Pace, president of The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN), said.

Speaking to The Malta Independent, Pace said he is disappointed that the health authorities are saying that the hospital is prepared, when that is a far cry from the reality.

“I see the Superintendence of Public Health go on television and tell the nation we are prepared, when the nurses have not even had a drill yet. Medical staff has not been provided with the basic training of how to take care of a patient with COVID-19 virus,” Pace said.

As Mater Dei hospital is already extremely busy, Pace said it is not clear where patients who test positive for Coronavirus, or COVID-19, will be kept. “We already have patients in corridors, and hopefully patients who test positive with the virus will not be left in the corridors.”

He said that nurses are not aware who will be on the frontline if a patient is brought in. “This is much more serious than any normal virus and our nurses must be prepared and ready,” Pace said. He said that he has tried to bring up the issue numerous times during meetings with hospital management, yet with no luck.

He pointed out that the health authorities must advise the Union with a proper document and planning of what is to happen if a patient is diagnosed with the virus. “Most of our nurses are mothers, and have children and families. When will they know if they are on the frontline when a patient comes in? Why should they not have the proper preparations?” he said.

In a statement, MUMN said that if nurses are not brought on board with the necessary training, protocols and planning, nurses are not to attend to patients suffering from the coronavirus. “To our knowledge, none of this is being done by MDH, nor by the Infection Control Unit and neither by the Public Health Sector.”