However it is also a challenging proposition that needs to be addressed in advance, Parliamentary Secretary Helen DíAmato said yesterday.

Mrs D’Amato was speaking at a ceremony in which she presented Dr Peter Ferry, Dr Stephen Abela and Dr Antoine Vella with letters of appointment as consultants to the Geriatric Department. Mrs D’Amato said she was delighted that the she was presenting the certificates on the eve of World Elderly Day, celebrated around the world today.

Mrs D’Amato said that the reforms implemented in the health sector and the elderly sector was necessary in order to improve the effectiveness of the services provided. She said that the decision to increase the number of consultants to the geriatric department from two to five was a very positive one and followed the principle of forward planning.

In this connection she pointed out that the consultants who were responsible for Zammit Clapp hospital were the same as those for St Vincent De Paul, although the former seems to get more praise for medical services than the latter