For the Malta Labour Party, the health sector needs an overhaul because the system is not functioning as it should. The MLP has come up with plans to regenerate the sector, putting forward proposals which, in its opinion, need to be implemented to make the sector more efficient and patient-friendly.
The government took more than a week to reply to the press conference organised by the MLP in this regard, with Health Minister Louis Deguara saying that there are no solutions or new ideas in Labour’s document. He also challenged Labour leader Dr Sant on various issued raised during the MLP press conference.
It is, yet again, another occasion of tit-for-tat politics, with Labour criticising most, if not all, of what the government is doing – in this case in the health sector – and the government replying that the opposition has nothing new to offer and that any proposals made are either already in force or have already been programmed.
It is not the first time it has happened, and the people have got so used to this kind of politics that many are simply not taking notice any longer. The problem is that what is at stake here is the most precious thing that everyone has – his or her health – and therefore the matter should not be treated lightly, at both ends.
Health is one of the subjects that should not bring about political controversy because, after all, both political parties want to improve the situation. Both have placed health issues as a priority and we are sure that both want to upgrade the services offered.
The question is, as always, how to go about doing it. It seems that the Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party have different views on how to tackle health problems, and therefore it is hard to find a compromise.
Still, the people deserve to have health services that are up to standard, efficient and, most of all, fast.
Thankfully, health services in Malta compare quite well with those in other European nations, and are sometimes better. But this does not mean that there is no room for improvement. And this is why this vital sector needs to be constantly monitored so that it is always in line with modern methods.
The government has, for example, realised that St Luke’s Hospital can no longer function well, in terms of space and facilities offered, and a new hospital, the Mater Dei, is being constructed.
The new complex has been the centre of so much political controversy ever since its inception, with plans drawn up and revised, costs escalating and deadlines extended. It is supposed to be finally completed by July next year.
The government has also come up with plans for a better use of its other hospitals, measures which it says will help to utilise resources better and reduce the pressure on workers inside the hospitals and ease the difficulties for the patients.
And it is here that the government must concentrate. The patient should always be the focal point of the services offered. Having patients in beds in hospital corridors or waiting too long to undergo an operation is to be avoided at all costs because such happenings add to the trauma of people needing medical assistance.
The question of space will hopefully be resolved once the new hospital starts functioning. But there is another issue here, and this concerns human resources. Is enough being done to see that there is enough personnel employed in the health sector to deal with the medical problems of a growing population that is also living longer? Are the conditions being offered to medical workers satisfactory? Are these conditions enough to attract more young people towards medical professions?
These are the questions that should be addressed. The government would do well to consider them seriously, and the opposition would do well to keep on insisting that these matters are seen to.