Elective surgeries, outpatient appointments, and community clinics will be put on hold on Thursday 6th August after the Medical Association of Malta announced a list of directives following the government’s failure to immediately halt mass events and a COVID-19 spike.

A strike was suspended on Monday after talks with Health Minister Chris Fearne. However, the union now say that the council has unanimously agreed to issue directives.

“Malta is currently in the thick of a new epidemic caused by mass events which is leading to around 15 new cases per day amongst the local population, and has already caused Malta to be blacklisted by four EU countries.”

“Rather than control the epidemic the government of Malta, against the advice of the superintendent of public health has decided to forge ahead with multiple mass events including those for thousands of people.”

“Furthermore, parties and standing up events similar to the party at Radisson can still go ahead. What all the other EU countries are strictly prohibiting, our authorities are doing exactly the opposite.”

“Very basic guidelines with many loopholes based on self-assessments have been introduced and enforcement to date has been weak,” the union said.

The action will start tomorrow and will continue on until Wednesday 12th August.

The directives are as follows:

Mater Dei Hospital

• 1) From Thursday, all Mater Dei outpatients appointments are postponed. This directive will remain in force for one week.
• 2) All elective surgery will be postponed from Thursday. All urgent and cancer surgery is exempt from this directive.
• 3) All elective ultrasound lists are postponed from Thursday. This directive will remain in force for one week.
• 4) All doctors in the Accident and Emergency Department are exempt from directives
• 5) All vulnerable doctors are to avoid frontline work and to report for administrative or telephone duties.

Health Centres

• 1) All 42 Community Clinics will remain closed and no General Practitioners will attend. This directive will remain in force for one week
• 2) All Health Centres will set up a triage desk which will be manned by a doctor at all times.
• 3) On Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August, only the Health Centres in Mosta, Floriana, Paola and Rabat (Gozo) will open. All doctors assigned to satellite Health Centres are to report to the main Health Centres on these days.
• 4) All doctors are to wear PPE in all clinical areas
• 5) All diabetic and medical consultant clinic appointments will be postponed or held by telephone
• 6) All vulnerable doctors are to avoid frontline work and to report for administrative or telephone duties.

Gozo

• 1) From Thursday 6th August, all Gozo General Hospital outpatients appointments are postponed. This directive will remain in force for one week.
• (Doctors working in Oncology, psychiatry, geriatrics and paediatrics are exempt)
• 2) All Community Clinics (bereg) will remain closed.
• 3) All patients will be triaged at the Rabat Health Centre. Non-urgent appointments will be postponed.

Doctors at Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre, Mount Carmel Hospital and community psychiatry, Public Health doctors and doctors working in swabbing centres, Karen Grech Hospital, Geriatrics and Rehabilitation Medicine and Obstetric outpatients (Not gynaecology) are exempt from the directives.

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