The Health Minister has reacted to a blog by health shadow minister Claudette Buttigieg, insisting that, far from being a gimmick, the new Gozo-based air ambulance service could be a lifesaver.

In a blog published today in The Malta Independent, the PN MP criticised the new service being introduced by the Vitals Healthcare Group.

She said the Health Ministry’s announcement on the helicopter ambulance was odd because the aircraft has not yet been converted for the job and the government has no plans to construct a helipad at Mater Dei. This means that the helicopter would only fly from Gozo to St Luke’s hospital.

“Many experts who work in the medical field, particularly those in Accident and Emergency, see this move as a gimmick,” she wrote.

Reacting, the Health Ministry said this was the same word the Opposition Leader had used to describe the decrease in energy tariffs. It said that Dr Buttigieg’s writing made it clear that the wellbeing of Gozitans was not a priority for the Opposition.

It said the Opposition has not yet understood the advantages of this new service. The current emergency air ambulance service, operated by the Armed Forces of Malta, has to fly from Luqa, increasing travelling time.

“A Gozo-based service will drastically reduce the time to transport patients to Malta. In situations involving a stroke or a heart attack, this can mean the difference between life and death. This is why the air ambulance service is not a gimmick.”

The ministry also pointed out that, unlike AFM helicopters, this will be fully equipped air ambulance.

The government also pointed out that the Mater Dei helipad stopped being used during the last legislature, because tall buildings in the vicinity rendered it unsafe.

“Claudette Buttigieg also failed to mention that a PN government had applied to build a helipad on top of Mater Dei’s emergency department when the building had been constructed using weak concrete. Once again, Claudette Buttigieg spoke without being informed about the facts.”