This government’s ethos in healthcare has always been to put the patient at the centre of attention, whichever service they make avail of, said Health Minister Louis Deguara on Thursday evening.

Speaking at the general conference of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, Dr Deguara said that every decision that has been taken, or will be taken in the future, is always taken with the patient’s best interests first.

He also expressed satisfaction at the way the opposition also believed in putting the patient’s interests first, as declared in their policy document on health.

Dr Deguara said the health service was due for a shake up when the proposed amendments to existing legislation are discussed in parliament. These amendments, he said, would see a distinction being made between the roles of regulator, service providers and those who purchased the service. “This is being done in order to improve the standard of service that the people of Malta already enjoy,” he said.

The World Health Organisation recognised that Malta had a good level of health care, said Dr Deguara.

Thanks to the hard work of the government, the nursing sector had taken “giant” steps forward, he said. One important development was the establishment of the Nursing Services Directorate, which had helped improve the level of service given to patients as well as the preparation and training for midwives and nurses.

Dr Deguara also referred to a decision taken in the late 1980s to set up the Health Care Institute. “Looking back, one can see what a good decision this was. It has led to better qualifications, which in turn automatically improves the level of health care that we offer,” he said.

He also said that one tangible investment on which the government had embarked was the Mater Dei Hospital. “This year, the government has assigned some Lm1.4 million for the recruitment and training of workers.”

Dr Deguara said that now that the Mater Dei project was nearing completion, it may be time to turn attention towards the improvement of existing services and the introduction of new ones. These, he said, should definitely include primary care and care in the community.