Joint statement between UĦM and APM

Union Ħaddiema Maqghudin (UĦM) and the Association of Podiatrists of Malta (APM) are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement on long standing issues pertaining to work practices and human resources within primary health care. In this regard UĦM is lifting all directives with immediate effect.

This agreement will see through a reform in the appointment system and increase patient-allocated time for specific patients identified through triaging. Moreover for the first time, Podiatry assistants shall be introduced in the service after appropriate in-house training is provided. These will act as support staff in order to care for basic foot cares necessities for the vulnerable population.

The department of health will orientate current staff with this reform for a smooth transition while an educational campaign with all health care professionals, support staff and the general public will be initiated in order to increase awareness on the roles of the podiatrist in the diagnosis, treatment and management of people with foot problems.

This reform will substantially increase the quality of care offered by the Podiatry department while Podiatrists will have the necessary patient-allocated time and human resources in order to maximize their professional skills and specialized management of patients.