The medical sector is putting itself at risk because of the increasing demand and progress that is taking place due to its own success, said Health Minister Louis Deguara yesterday at a conference.

Dr Deguara was addressing members of the medical profession at a conference titled “National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2006-2008 for Malta”.

Dr Deguara pointed out that any form of improvement in the medical sector always comes at an additional cost. Over 10 per cent of the government’s expenditure is spent on health services and long-term health care, he added.

A year ago, Malta was asked to list the problems and challenges it faces in the healthcare system and long-term healthcare and according to the preliminary results, all member states are facing the same problems. However, unless the EU focuses on social problems, it will not be able to meet the criteria set by the Lisbon Agenda, he added.

Dr Deguara pointed out that there never will be sufficient funds for the ever-growing demand for healthcare services and decisions have to be carefully thought out to improve quality while keeping up with the increasing quantity, he said.

The national action plan will be based on the three main pillars set by the EU: accessibility, sustainability and quality.

Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, from the Health Ministry, gave the results of the preliminary national report on health and long-term care.

Lengthy waiting time for interventions and long waiting lists for long-term care institutions are the main problems of Malta’s healthcare system, she said.

“Limited availability of preventive services, affordability of new medicines and technology also need to be tackled,” she added.

However, she pointed out that the report focused primarily on the public sector and gave limited coverage on long-term care. The report was drawn up to identify missing elements and themes in Malta’s healthcare system.

Consultant for Public health Dr Kenneth Grech explained that five focus groups were held on the following topics: service users and patient representatives, private sector, partners in government, policy makers and service providers, and healthcare workers and unions.

Over 60 organisations, entities and department participated in the focus groups and produced a report which will be included in the National Action Plan.

“There is the need to make a major shift from acute to primary care, focusing on rehabilitative and long-term care,” said Dr Grech. Primary care needs to be improved to meet the needs of the population while focusing on the future roles of the health centres.

The focus groups pointed out the lack of national screening programmes, and the need for access and coordination of medical and social services in the community.

“At present, there is no clear or comprehensible national policy for certain health sectors,” said Dr Grech. “There are no health reforms at the moment and the political system is hampering the vision and direction.”

It also emerged that there are problems with long waiting lists affecting the elderly and possible abuse of free medicines. Furthermore, the poor working conditions and low morale are leading to a possible brain drain in highly professional staff.

More training and specialisation are needed, including further negotiations with unions. Dr Grech added that a national workforce plan is needed for both the private and public sector. Collection of accurate data is extremely important and should be carried out as part of a collective project.

The focus groups also called for a National Patient’s Charter and to further empower patients.

Malta’s ageing population should be the basis of Malta future health plan, said Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly Helen D’Amato during her closing speech.

“It is important not to set up a healthcare system which focuses on acute services but which will be capable of fulfilling the needs brought about by an ageing population,” she added.