Health Minister Chris Fearne will be flying to Boston next week where he will be finalising a deal with Harvard University through which the Gozo Hospital will be receiving management advice.

Speaking at the PL’s regional congress in Gozo, Mr Fearne said the agreement will also include training of hospital staff and use of medical equipment. Gozo Hospital will become better than Mater Dei, he said, and the aim is to make it one of the best hospitals in the world.

The Gozo Hospital will be expanded from one with 291 beds to a 450-bed complex, 100 of which will be used for medical tourism. This will also serve as a boost to Gozo’s economy.

Mr Fearne also spoke about the government’s work to eliminate the issue of out-of-stoc medicines.

Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis said that one out of every five jobs generated in Gozo was related to tourism. One million people visited Gozo last year, an increase of 8% over 2014.

Efforts to increase visits during the winter months was bearing fruit as the number of visitors to Gozo in the first three months of the year increased by 30% to 140,000 visitors.

Dr Zammit Lewis urged more Gozitans to take up a career in the tourism industry, and said he is convinced that by 2018 the government could embark on a project with the money generated via the eco-contribution tax to be introduced as from 1 June.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo spoke about the government’s work to generate employment in Gozo and improvements in the education sector.