The Nationalist Party’s shadow health minister Adrian Delia on Tuesday accused the government of “destroying the health sector.”

Speaking in a party press conference, Delia described the state of the health sector, detailing how several hospital patients are being stripped of their human dignity by being stowed away in hospital corridors, that the administration is not managing to deal with the problems the country is facing (though is at least, “finally” acknowledging them), the problem of numerous out-of-stock medicines taking far longer than they should to get into the hands of patients in need, and the long waiting times involved in getting an appointment, test, or surgery.

“These are the four areas in which the government has failed,” Delia said.

The former PN leader hoped that all these issues can be addressed with the swearing in of the new Minister for Health, Jo Etienne Abela.

Delia then referred to comments made this weekend to The Malta Independent on Sunday in which Aġenzija Sapport’s CEO Oliver Scicluna gave a 5/10 rating to rate the quality of life of a person with a disability in Malta.

Delia highlighted that “whoever has a disability in our country, not only has to cope with their condition, but they are living a more deteriorated way of life than the average person – by half.”

On this point, he spoke about the poor state of local pavements, saying that they are unsafe to walk on, especially if one requires the use of a wheelchair or some kind of walking aid.

“Our pavements are treacherous,” Delia stated.

He then made reference to recent statements made by the youth organisations Studenti Demokristjani Maltin (SDM) and the Malta Medical Students’ Association (MMSA). These statements spoke about the promised medical school that was pledged by the government in their electoral manifesto for the 2022 general election.

With medical students still left without the facilities envisioned through the promised medical school – that was meant to be completed by December 2022 – Delia called for Minister Abela to open talks with these stakeholders, even after he has gone public to say that something must be done on this.

PN backbencher Ian Vassallo Hagi elaborated on Delia’s points, stating that the “PL has made many promises that have never been fulfilled, especially within the health sector.”

Vassallo Hagi said that rapid overpopulation has caused the overpacking of our hospitals, particularly Mater Dei Hospital, and the situation is getting worse as time goes by.

“This government does not have a plan when it comes to health in this country,” he said.

He highlighted that “we have 400 less [hospital] beds than we should have” due to the Vitals-Steward scandal before referencing the thousands of people on waiting lists for an MRI or a CT scan, that over 400 people are waiting to have cataract surgery, and that hundreds are waiting to have a hip or knee replacement.

Using a case he got to know of as an example of these long waiting times, Vassallo Hagi told those present for this press conference about a patient who got referred to the hospital’s orthopaedics department in October 2023, though was given an appointment for January 2025. He thus advocated for further investments in the health sector by government.

Once again referring to the Vitals-Steward fraud, he said that “if we invested the lost €400 million properly, we would not have the issue of long waiting lists of people waiting for an appointment or surgery.”

The “inadequate” state of Mount Carmel Hospital was also mentioned, as was the resignation of some 400 health professionals and nurses who filed in their notices after being exhausted in keeping up with the great demands of the health sector.    

Following Vassallo Hagi’s intervention, Delia briefly discussed the Health Ministers recent comments that spoke about Malta’s need for a second national hospital and a “health village”. Delia stated that his party was currently “unsure” about what exactly the Minister envisions through a “health village”.

In addition, he said that the solution to the country’s problems lies in fostering an economic model that “does not depend on the importation of more people.” PN’s shadow health minister said it is “problematic” that the country’s population has increased by 100,000 people over just the last decade while the quantity of resources has remained the same.