Government to open 18 new specialisation posts for nurses

Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne says the government looks forward to many new opportunities in the field

Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said that the government was planning many new changes that aimed to encourage more young people to consider a career in the field of nursing.

Fearne explained that The Malta Union of Midwives and Nursing (MUMN), had chosen the month of May for the campaign to encourage more young people to choose nursing. It was explained that May was important as it marked three important dates for the sector; the first of May (Worker’s Day), and the international midwife’s day on 5th May as well as International Nurses day on 12th May.

“This year’s campaign saw billboards, and a number of school and media visits organised by nurses themselves to talk about their careers and prospects,” Fearne said.

Fearne added that nurses and midwives were considered the backbone of the health services, and that the health sector was slowly but surely becoming the driving force of the local economy.

Referring to the various projects in the field including the Bart’s medical School in Gozo, expansion of the Gozo General Hospital and St. Luke’s hospital as well as a new St John Paul II hospital at Smart City, Fearne said that these new investments would create new opportunities and challenges for the industry.

“We are encouraging ever more young students to consider a career in health services because so many opportunities are being created. These opportunities will also require specific skills, and the government is already in discussions with MUMN and various international institutions to create a new nursing school with foreign investors,” Fearne said.

Fearne also stressed that career progression for nurses was also being targeted with the government planning to open 18 new specialisation posts including in vascular operations, oncology, neurology, infection control, gastro-interology, orthopaedic, blood transfusion and resuscitation.  He explained that the first specialisations had been offered in 2002 with the country having only 54 specialised nurses since that time.