The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses issued a statement welcoming the outcome of the Magisterial Inquiry into Stephen Mangion's death, while deploring the attack on the nurses and all the other Health Professionals, made through social media and political press conferences.

"The natural death of a patient should never be used as a political ball game especially when facts were being totally distorted intentionally on social media as to put the Health Ministry into bad light by even attacking the Health Professionals."

"The nurses in the Emergency Department and the nurses in Primary Care offered sterling service and all the stupidity and nonsense on fake social media platforms shows clearly that certain politicians and a small part of society place their political agendas first and people second, with no scruples and with no respect to the victim's family and to the nurses."

"The truth has prevailed and though this was an unfortunate incident, there was clearly no criminal negligence as some wished there was," the MUMN said.

"Also, the fact that 40 new nurses are being deployed in the emergency department with agreement with MUMN is clearly a political commitment of addressing the needs of the patient for better service. It is now up to the medical profession to implement the necessary changes such as the triage medical consultant which is being proposed to start addressing the needs for patient at the emergency services."

The MUMN also addressed the Medical Association of Malta. "MUMN would like to point out that MAM media reports on the closure of the ward for ventilated patients is totally untrue and utterly misleading."

The MAM had said that MAM said that "a ward specifically designed for critical patients needing ventilation was closed and patients placed in hospital wards which are not equipped for such patients, against the opinion of all the medical consultants and international guidelines on patient safety. As these critically ill patients are in danger of death, there was a need for all respiratory physicians to write to the state advocate that they opposed such a decision, should a death result in a magisterial enquiry. Doctors stand for the patient, however such as a decision has not been reversed to date."

The MUMN said, in reaction: "MAM was referring to the Ward - Plastic Surgery and Burns which has always been a surgical ward for plastic surgery. This ward was temporarily changed to cater for ventilated patients during the COVID pandemic. It was always made clear that such ward would be used again for surgery once the COVID pandemic was over. Contrary to what MAM stated, it was not safe having ventilated patients and surgical patients in the same ward. MDH took the right decision to remove the ventilated patients to another secure area which is a highly equipped (not as indicated in MAM statement) and with highly trained nurses.  Seeing MAM issuing false statements makes one wonder the true agenda of MAM."

MAM responds

In response, the Medical association of Malta "thanked" the MUMN "for publicly revealing that the closure of the ward for non-invasive ventilation was a deal between Minister Abela and MUMN behind the back of all the respiratory consultants responsible for such patient. This has resulted an unfortunate situation where patients have been put at risk in wards with more than 20 patients against the advice of senior Consultants in respiratory medicine."