Dental students have slammed an “unacceptable and almost insulting” practice that recently saw non-EU dentists being hired at Mater Dei Hospital without having to go through a traditional vetting procedure. Non-EU nationals are no longer being asked to sit for an exam to assess their skills and ascertain they are safe to work on patients before being warranted. By contrast, students said they themselves were required to go through exams that served as “checkpoints with stringent requirements” to ensure they were fully capable as graduated dentists. “As warranted dentists, we represent the dental profession and the subsequent level of care we provide. It is unacceptable and almost insulting that foreign qualifications go unchecked by local standards, thus running the risk of inferior treatment and the burden on local dentists due to repercussions which follow,” said a spokesperson for the Malta Association of Dental Students. Dental surgeons are granted a warrant to work in Malta following the approval of at least two out of three dental representatives on the Malta Medical Council. Their recommendation is then sent to the President of the Republic, who, in turn, issues the...
↧