The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has requested an urgent meeting with Health Minister Ian Borg over Budget 2027 measures affecting third-country nationals, warning that the added costs on foreign nurses could deepen staff shortages and put essential healthcare services at risk.
In a statement on Tuesday, the union said it would put a set of proposals to government before the measures take effect. Its argument is that government cannot rely on third-country nationals to keep the healthcare system running while bringing in measures that make working in Malta less financially attractive.
The 2027 Budget, presented last week by Finance Minister Clyde Caruana, included several measures affecting third-country nationals, among them the removal of free public transport and higher driving licence fees. The union opposed the measures and raised particular concern about the extra financial pressure on foreign nurses. It argued that government should be working to attract, retain and support more TCN nurses rather than discourage them.
“TCNs are not an additional burden on our healthcare system,” the union said. “They are an essential part of the workforce that keeps it functioning.”
Public and private hospitals, Church-run elderly homes and government nursing homes all lean heavily on these workers, the union said. Without them, existing shortages would be harder to manage and the load on already overstretched Maltese nurses would grow. The measures, it warned, could undermine current services and also threaten plans to open new healthcare facilities.
TCN nurses do more than fill vacancies, the union said, caring for vulnerable patients, supporting elderly residents and working alongside Maltese colleagues in demanding conditions, often under considerable pressure.
“The country cannot afford to jeopardise the availability of an already essential workforce,” it said. “Any policy that risks discouraging the nurses must be carefully reconsidered, particularly when the consequences could ultimately be felt by patients, elderly residents and the entire healthcare workforce.”
The union called on government to reconsider the measures and to exempt TCN nurses working in the healthcare sector from additional taxation. It also urged government to recognise the role of foreign healthcare workers and to make sure new policies do not weaken the sustainability of Malta’s health and elderly care services. The MUMN said it remained committed to defending all healthcare workers regardless of nationality, stressing that quality healthcare and elderly care depend on the contribution of the entire workforce.
