The way the Leader of the Opposition exposed the disgraceful sham of the government’s so-called plan to tackle the problem of breast cancer screening shows how vigilant we must all be to ensure that no one messes about with our health.
After 20 almost continuous years in power, during which little or nothing has been done to screen all women for breast cancer, the Prime Minister brazenly announced on the eve of the election that his government intends to introduce this screening, which is universally acknowledged as being the best way to reduce the incidence of this disease.
The reality is that once again this government is betraying the people’s trust by promising things it knows it cannot deliver. Our professional medical people have shown that the Nationalist government not only did not consult them on such an important plan, but clearly did not understand the implications of what they were promising as well. A government of dialogue, my foot!
Creating expectations in women and their families that, whatever their financial situation, the State will do what it takes to ensure that they are screened to protect them as early as possible from the distinct possibility of contracting this dreadful disease, is immoral if such a promise is not made on the basis of a viable plan worked out in all its details with the medical profession. But election time is as good a time as any other to hunt for votes. How cynical can this government get that it is even prepared to mess about with people’s health?
While in the past few months European politicians of all ideological hues were battling against a proposed EU directive that would have practically banned the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the EU, our party in government was busy devising schemes on how it would fool Maltese woman into thinking that their government really cared about their health.
MRI is considered to be the most accurate and sensitive measure to detect breast cancer and the stand taken by European politicians against Brussels bureaucracy shows what real concern about our families’ health should really be like. Our families, our women whether young or not so young, deserve better than this. This government has once again treated them as though they were gullible fools ready to accept whatever a patronising geriatric administration told them.
The breast cancer screening sham is just one of the major failures of this government in the area of public health management. There are other serious threats that are being taken too lightly by this administration, which should be doing much more in the preventive care of our families.
Let me mention just a few more examples. The obesity crisis is already hitting us in a serious way with our children ranking in the highest places in the EU for being overweight or obese. Similarly we are facing a serious crisis with the abuse of alcohol, especially amongst our younger people.
Yet another looming crisis relates to the poor quality of the air we breathe because of the pollution caused by the building industry and the lack of control on vehicle emissions. No wonder we are facing an epidemic of asthma and other breathing problems much bigger than that facing other countries.
If we do not stop messing about with our people’s health we will have to pay the consequences for such irresponsible behaviour in the near future in the form of enormous increase in medical costs to treat people affected with avoidable diseases, and a deterioration in the state of health of many of our citizens.
A new Labour government will, as usual, be truthful with its families in defining what can be done to address preventive care issues, whether it relates to the screening programme for breast cancer, or any other equally important health matter. We have the ability to plan, the eagerness to implement, and the moral commitment to deliver to our families the very best health programme they deserve.
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www.mangioncharles.com
Dr Mangion is deputy leader of the Opposition