GozoNews.Com

Up to 400 non-clinical Support Staff working at Mater Dei Hospital have started benefiting from an EU funded training programme through the European Social Fund (ESF).

Under the Structural Funds Programme for Malta 2004-2006, ESF43: Enhancement of Occupational Skills for Support Staff at Mater Dei Hospital aims at providing a training programme focusing on customer care, communication and supervisory skills. The programme, part financed by ESF funds, has been branded PROSIT and will run until July 2008.

Members of staff have been placed in different groups according to their current designations and each training programme has been designed to address the specific needs of the respective groups.

A tender to procure the provision of the above training was issued in January 2008 and awarded to Idea Management Consulting Services Ltd in March 2008.

The project beneficiaries are support staff occupying the roles of cleaners, porters and transport personnel in the first group, ward clerks, customer care personnel, telephone operators, receptionists and clerical staff in the second group and supervisory and administrative staff in the third group.

Dr Paul D. Micallef, Consultant/Advisor for Staff Training and Retraining at MDH, stressed that such training is crucial so that members of staff meet the quality requirements established by government following the migration to Mater Dei. The programme is running under the leadership of Mr Andrew Xuereb, Director Human Resources/Administration at Mater Dei Hospital while Mr John Anastasi is Project Manager.

The total funds available for this project are €104,809.00, 75% of which are financed by the European Social Fund.