MFPA newsletter 04
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and Malta
The members are then divided into six main sectors within the EESC structure and each member attempts to be appointed on a study group to work on and propose an opinion of all topics chosen by the EU commission. This opinion is discussed first in one of the six chosen sectors, where there will be around 110 members for the three groupings and then at plenary with around 320 members. Each member is free to make and suggest adjustments to the final document. A vote is then taken and the final version of the opinion is sent to the EU commission. The EU commission then gives its views within 3 to 4 months stating what it will accept from the opinion and providing reasons for its decision.
Section meetings and plenary meetings are held practically every month except August. The Maltese members usually travel to Brussels, or lately via zoom meetings, to give their views and vote on the opinions.
Professional Ethics: Safeguarding the service to the consumer
A Study on End-User Customers’ Perceptions on Services offered by Professionals in Malta
The overriding objective of this Study aimed at obtaining a sound understanding of the views, attitudes and perceptions of individuals (end-user customers) who used the services of professionals (various) in the last three years, hailing across Malta and Gozo. This Study, which was carried out in September-October 2018, was carried out with 400 consumer respondents. This study research findings ensured a statistical significance at a confidence interval (margin of error) of +/- 4.9 at a 95% confidence level.
Sourcing a professional and the salient expectations
When asked on how they source a professional in a particular field when requiring such services for the first time:
– 3 in 5 end-user customers source a professional through word-of-mouth recommendation when requiring a service for the first time.
– 1 in 4 end-user customers rely on recommendations from other specialists in the field to source a professional.
– The salient expectations of customers when receiving a professional service include: to receive a good service; the professional is to act in a professional manner; should show empathy towards the customer and be a good listener.
Consumers’ Understanding of the term ‘Code of Professional Ethics’
– Some 80% of customers believe that the term ‘Code of Professional Ethics’ refers to a set of rules; others believe that it refers to confidentiality and work being conducted in a professional manner.
– Only 1 in 2 customers believe that local professionals adhere to their code of professional ethics and some 40% of customers consult more than one professional for the same problem/service.
– A high 84% of customers believe that professionals are legally obliged to follow a code of ethics when providing a service.
Association of Podiatrists Malta
APM is a voluntary non-profit and apolitical organisation set up to represent Podiatrists in Malta. Its main priorities, as set by the organisations’ statute, are to maintain and upgrade standards for Podiatry in Malta according to the worldwide standards, promote foot related health amongst the general public and to act as an active voice for Podiatrists as health care professionals in Malta.
APM’s activity goes beyond Maltese soil. It is affiliated with the International Federation of Podiatrists (FIP), where the current President of APM, Ivan Farrugia, was recently re-elected as Vice-President.
The APM would like to congratulate the Malta Federation of Professional Association on its 50th Anniversary and looks forward to continue growing the relationship for both the growth of Maltese professionals and in turn for the benefit of the general public.
Malta Association of Occupational Therapists
MAOT values and empowers the active involvement of its members to encourage on-going development of the profession. It serves as a national and international platform for Maltese Occupational Therapists to ameliorate their skills and network opportunities. Its vision includes adherence to ethical principles and maintenance of high professional standards. This is achieved through a close network system involving local and foreign professional associations, NGO’s and other stakeholders, promotion of the profession; creating opportunities for continuing education and by providing a unifying forum for the profession.
In order to fulfil its mission and vision, MAOT initially became an associate member with the World Federation of Occupational Therapist and was finally accepted as a full member in 1994. During this year, MAOT was also considered as a full member of the Council of Occupational Therapists for European Countries. On a local perspective, MAOT joined the Malta Health Network in 2010 and is a full member of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations.
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