Apparently, Franco Mercieca is not as indispensable as he thinks he is
Parliamentary secretary for the elderly, Franco Mercieca, has sought to give the impression that without him practising as an ophthalmic surgeon, people will be going blind.
But his boss at the state hospital – ophthalmology department head Thomas Fenech – says that there are other eye surgeons to do the job and they will carry on doing that job.
It is wrong to suggest that patients will suffer, that they will not be able to receive certain treatment at the general hospital, or that they will have to be sent out of Malta for treatment, if Mr Mercieca stops working as an eye surgeon, Mr Fenech told The Times.
Mr Mercieca has told the press that the prime minister has allowed him to carry on treating cases where he is The parliamentary “the sole medical practitioner in the field”. Now it turns out that he is no such thing under any circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party has issued this press statement.
Stqarrija PN, l-Erbgha, 17 ta’ April, 2013
Ir-ragunijiet moghtija mill-Prim Ministru Muscat li jhalli lis-Segretarju Parlamentari Franco Mercieca jipprattika bhala kirurgu tal-ghajnejn, kemm fl-isptar Mater Dei kif ukoll fil-privat, tmur kontra l-kodici tal-etika ghall-Ministri u s-Segretarji Parlamentari.
Imma mhux biss. Id-decizjoni tal-Prim Ministru li jhalli lis-Segretarju Parlamentari Franco Mercieca ghaddej bil-prattika privata terga tikkonferma li dan il-Gvern qieghed imur kontra l-weghdiet li kien ghamel meta kien fl-Opposizzjoni. Spiccat it-trasparenza u spiccat il-governanza.
Il-Kodici ta’ etika ma huwiex qieghed hemm biex tikkwotah biss meta jaqbillek. L-anqas ma hu qieghed hemm biex tahbih halli tkun tista tiehu decizjoni minn wara dahar il-poplu Malti u minghajr ebda raguni valida.
Ir-regoli tal-Kodici qieghdin hemm biex jiggwidaw lill-politiku li jaghzel li jkun ta’ servizz ghal pajjiz meta jaccetta li jiehu kariga ezekuttiva.
Min jaccetta jidhol ghal din ir-responsabbilta’, jaf li qieghed jiehu gurament tal-hatra marbuta ma kariga li tiddetta dedikazzjoni assoluta u totali lejn is-servizz pubbliku li ghalih tkun imhallas mit-taxxi tal-poplu Malti u Ghawdxi.
Huwa proprju f’gieh is-serjeta’ li tmur mal-kariga fl-Ezekuttiv, li r-regoli fil-Kodici tal-Etika jistabilixxu illi min jaccetta kariga jkollu jitlaq il-hidma privata tieghu u jiddedika l-hin u l-energija kollha tieghu esklussivament ghas-servizz pubbliku. B’hekk tigi evitata kull xamma jew suspett ta’ kunflitt ta interess li jista’ biss jimmina l-integrita’ tal-kariga.
Il-kodici sahansitra jistabilixxi li ebda xoghol ma jista jsir anke jekk dan isir minghajr hlas jew kumpens iehor. Il-Prim Ministru issa holoq sitwazzjoni skandaluza li permezz taghha Franco Mercieca mhux biss qed imur kontra l-kodici tal-etika imma aghar minn hekk inevitabbilment qed iqatta inqas hin jiffoka fuq dik li issa hi r-responsabbilta’ primarja tieghu: ix-xoghol tieghu bhala Segretarju Parlamentari ghall-Anzjani.
Il-Partit Nazzjonalista jinsisti li dan il-precedent perikoluz ta’ nuqqas ta’ etika jitwaqqaf immedjatament u s-sitwazzjoni tigi rimedjata minghajr telf ta’ zmien.
Ufficcju Informazzjoni, PN
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Does this mean that Franco Mercieca is in receipt of an MP’s honoraria and a salary from the State hospital – the famous “paga doppja” – the catch phrase invented by Joseph Muscat?
And will Joseph Muscat be changing the Code of Ethics for Ministers so that members of his cabinet will be able to receive remuneration other than their honoraria as MPs?
If this is the case, then it’s truly scandalous.
It’s worse than that, ciccio. As a PS, he earns a regular salary as he is meant to be a full-timer.
The Chairman of the Ophtalmology Department at Mater Dei puts a rocket under Franco Mercieca’s claims.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2Yjmo5aK-WE
Well done, Mr Prime Minister, you have now created a part-time PS who is still being paid as a full timer.
Is this why you have appointed such a large cabinet? In order to cover the amateurish approach you have taken?
Shame on you for wasting public money
And Mr. Fenech comes under immediate attack (see Times online) for being married to Ann Fenech (PN connections! Shock horror!) and also for being Mr. Mercieca’s ‘competitor’.
Eeehh dak, Fenech – biex jiholdu xogholu lil Franco.
The change in Government brought us a now you see me, now you don’t Prime Minister, a part-time Minister, a Minister who is doing everything except his job, a Minister who contradicts his Prime Minister, a PS who was caught lying. All this in less than five weeks.
An ’emotional’ Godfrey Farrugia let slip the real reason for Franco Mercieca’s behaviour. He was quoted as saying, in an interview this morning, that Mercieca needs to keep practising and operating for his name to remain on the register of recognised specialists.
It seems like there’s aggro between Farrugia and Mercieca.
It is all about “SHOW ME THE MONEY”!
Franco Mercieca should ensure that as per his political boss’s many promises, from now on, it will not be necessary for patients to undergo any operations privately as there will no longer be any waiting lists at Mater Dei Hospital.
@Franco Mercieca – “The cemeteries are full of people who thought the world couldn’t get along without them”.
Actually Franco Mercieca wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to be “in power” and does not want to lose his clients (read money-making cash cow) for laser eye treatment at Saint James Hospital.
He is serving at Mater Dei Hospital to keep clients coming.
Now he can understand why he deserves “the €500 pay rise” which the then Labour Opposition was all out against.
What goes round comes around.
Putting this situation in simple words, Franco Mercieca is not earning the same amount of money he used to earn before he became Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly. Now he’s earning much less.
Can some investigative reporter ask him to confirm this?
I remember a Maltese politician saying something to the effect of “nbazwru ftit l’hawn u mbazwru ftit l’hemm” – could this be more of the same?
Basta Chris Cardona u Evarist Bartolo ghamlu show b’Tonio Fenech ghax ma’ mexiex mal- kodici tal-etika! Issa Malta taghhom u kollox jghaddi.
Apart from anything else I would not want my eyes treated by somebody, however good he may be, whose mind is distracted by the heavy burdens of a ministry.
We can change ministers every 5 years. As for eyes, all I have are these 2!!!