In a call-in on the radio show, the Health Minister clarified that Balzan was “speaking about himself”.

Abela explained that in 2014, Balzan did an interview and was appointed deputy head of a department. It was a three-year role and between 2017 until recently, no interviews had been conducted. Eventually, an interview was held and Balzan performed poorly. He did not get the position and “he had a problem with it”.

Here, Azzopardi jumped in, telling the minister he is making serious claims. But Abela doubled down and said: “If a candidate performs poorly in an interview, he needs to open a case with the Public Service Commission, and that’s Balzan did.”

Abela said he also offered Balzan the opening of an independent inquiry with a retired judge of his choice into the post and how it was filled if the MAM President was unsatisfied with the conclusion of the Public Service Commission.

“This isn’t an issue concerning doctors, it’s a personal one.”

This comes after a week of back and forth between the MAM and the Health Ministry, with the former declaring an industrial dispute. The association claimed that it was not properly consulted on the government’s €14 million decision to outsource patients to private hospitals in a bid to decrease serious overcrowding and waiting times at Mater Dei.

The MAM said that the government did not respect a 2017 agreement which obliges it to obtain the union’s written approval before patients can be outsourced to the private sector. As a result, doctors have been ordered by the association to stop transferring patients to the private sector.

Last week, Abela made reference to personal grudges within a “core group” of the MAM when the directives were first issued.

Concluding his intervention earlier today, Abela said it is up to the healthcare workers and patients to determine what is right, adding that it is “unacceptable” to use the sick as a pawn.

“Doctors also shouldn’t end up used as a pawn,” Azzopardi shot back.

“Everything that Martin Balzan wanted, we told him he could have. But closing the polyclinic of Floriana in winter during influenza season is unacceptable,” Abela responded.