I was not going to write anything about this ABYSMAL LIE generated by Pawlu Pace but I am greatly hurt and therefore this deserves a clarification. A clarification from a doctor who has been working in Cath Lab for over 15 years and have seen the Department of Cardiology evolving.
When I started as a trainee, Prof. Albert Fenech was Chairperson. At the time, during the Christmas period, elective procedures used to stop for a significant time and it used to be a truly festive season- something which the nurses and other healthcare professionals loved cause it was a well deserved break after lots of hard work. Over the years, this break from elective procedures decreased drastically in view of the increasing demand such that this year, I, as a Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, NEVER stopped my elective list. It is the patients who, rightly enough, do not want to be admitted for a cardiac procedure on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve.
While I appreciate that nurses in Cath Lab work a lot (and I will not go into their dispute), let us NOT undermine the work of the doctors who end up losing their leave for the patients and not taking a day of sick leave. In fact, for me to add an elective patient to my list last week, I had to ask the permission of the Nursing Officer, who rightly enough agreed to proceed with the elective procedure. In addition, last Sunday I went in to do another 4 more procedures while my children waited patiently at home for a late Sunday lunch.
This is the truth of our profession- it is a vocation. And ALL the doctors working in Cath Lab are truly devoted to the patients and do many sacrifices for the good of the patient. Please Newsbook Malta get the facts right when reporting.
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It’s not NEWDBOOK anymore, It is THE SHIFT NEWS. Kemm kellu ragun Jason Micallef.