Call for seven full time consultants, doctors at the Gozo General Hospital

A call for seven full time consultants and a number of junior doctors to work at the Gozo General Hospital was issued few days ago, The Malta Independent has learnt.

On 25 May a request for full time Consultants Medicine and Paediatrics at the Gozo General Hospital was published, and on 1 June another set of requests for consultants in baromedicine, cardiology, neurology, emergency medicine and microbiology/bacteriology was issued.

Over recent months the situation Gozo General Hospital had been criticised by both the Opposition as well as the Malta Medical Association (MAM) due to the fact that it was facing a shortage of medical consultants and nurses.

Before Steward Healthcare bought out the Maltese operations of Vitals Global Healthcare, the Gozo hospital had not been keeping up with the stipulated deadlines as regards construction work and the purchasing of medical equipment.

Last February Opposition Gozo Spokesperson Chris Said remarked at a press conference said that demolition works which took place next to the Gozo General Hospital, to build Barts Medical School, were behind schedule and this was to the hospital’s detriment.

As matters currently at Gozo General Hospital, there are 17 consultants on staff and that number will be increased to 24 in the coming weeks.

Sources close to the hospital told this newsroom that as services being offered at the hospital increase, more consultants will be added to the staff complement.

Apart from these seven new consultants a number of junior doctors will also be joining Gozo general Hospital’s ranks. The alary of these new employees will be fully covered by Steward Health Care.