The last post took a lot of effort to write but didn't prove very popular amongst you all. But, just for continuity's sake, I can't but not write about the recent happenings that took place between the MAM and the government. Di-ve.com leaked some interesting information last Sunday at 17:30 CEST; information which was worth copying and pasting for a doctor friend of mine to read when bored of studying for her MRCPs. The article title hinted that the government was actually concerned about this exodus of medical professionals, despite less recent claims of its inevitability*, and has plans (inspired by the proverbial case of dangling carrots on a stake in front of a donkey) to plug the brain drain.
Surprisingly enough, this agreement took past MAM (Medical Association of Malta) proposals to make working conditions less disheartening for all doctors in the public sector very seriously. The government was simply waiting for the MAM's approval before signing out an attractively looking package that could make newly graduates consider willingly working for the people on who they'd have studied. Since the salary was, undoubtedly, a major issue at stake, every one's wages have been increased. Consultants are being courteously rewarded do they choose to dedicate themselves to working solely with the government at the expense of their private practice, and the younger doctors might be provided with learning and specialised training opportunities to help them advance in their careers.
Although I was certain that the majority of doctors would have agreed to this package, an extraordinary meeting was still held the following day (Monday 29th October) at Medical School, 20:00 CEST, to allow the MAM and all its interested members to discuss things democratically. Needless to say...
The extra-ordinary general meeting of MAM approved the proposed MAM-gov
agreement.
Votes in Favour = 250
Against = 40
Invalid = 1
thanks
Martin Balzan
These "new and improved" working conditions, as described quite well in the Tuesday (30th October) local papers, will come into play as from 2008 till 2012...something else to look forward to other than the Euro changeover...
* See previous post for further details (I just have to make you read it do I?)
8 comments:
oh! didn't know that the goverment was that concerned with keeping some doctors on the island...
I'm not convinced that this agreement will make a significant difference to the brain drain. Why? Because, the number of consultant posts has not been increased and so the bottleneck will simply remain as it always was, ie at SR level (new name, same animal). Imagine doing 1:4 nights when you are 50!!
the MAM-state agreement was sad news for the medical profession in Malta - the consultants got a nice rise with the premise that they will train you, but no one will police over them to make sure they loose this allowance if they do not perform .... In this country it is better to be an illegal immigrant than a doctor ....
Keep your comments/opinions coming in...though it would be really nice if comments aren't kept anonymous.
Whether the state agreement was sad new for the local Medical profession, I don't know. As Paul Cacciottolo might put it, some people might actually be content with being paid cashews instead of peanuts. The only thing that I do know is that career advancement is still an issue for the majority of junior medics, as someone pointed out already. And I doubt whether this issue will ever be addressed: (1) the "bottle neck people" with the power to change things have nothing to gain by doing so.
(2) Do we need to have a consultant to houseman ratio of 1:1?? Sometimes, I wonder whether this country REALLY needs to plug this brain drain...
And that was, ladies and gents, my 2c on the matter. Feel free to agree/disagree/correct me.
There is more to this than career progression, I think. I'm not sure how many of us students realise that not everyone is going to get a training post. In fact, most of us won't!
BTW I disagree that in Malta it's better to be an illegal immigrant than a doctor. When was the last time you slept in a tent during a thunderstorm?
Yes the consultants got the biggest pay rise, but what did you expect? Most of them have been in training for 10 to 15 years and have been paid peanuts.
You have a point. Can the consultant grade keep expanding forever? Surely the country only needs a certain number of consultants. We seem to have more than enough surgeons and specialist physicians, but apparently no-one applied for a recent post as consultant neurologist. There is something wrong here.
I think the bigger question is Can we afford to train so many doctors (at the tax payer's expense), when we know we can't afford to keep them here. Bring on the numerus clausus, say I.
I am worried that my chances of getting a training post are very small. I don't want to end up being a "service doctor" with no career prospects.
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