The Malta Union of Midwives & Nurses has temporarily suspended industrial directives which were going to hit the primary health care sector, The Malta Independent is informed.

This newspaper understands that Primary Health Care (PHC) has acknowledged that triage should be done once again by doctors and not by Health Carers as was originally planned.

Emails sent to the MUMN state that PHC will set up a Multidisciplinary Team consisting of a doctor, a nurse, security guard and a clerk who will together all be assigned duties to carry out triage in all Health Centres.

Nursing management meanwhile will be issuing an expression of interest within PHC to deploy nurses in their off hours for triage purposes, meaning that the complement of nurses in health centres will not be affected.

With this agreement, the MUMN will be temporarily suspending their directives, pending that PHC adhere to the said agreement.