That the hospital took much, much longer than expected to be built and passed on to the government is something about which there is no doubt. That the costs rose exponentially from the initial estimates is also correct. That the migration plan that will see the health services transferred from St Luke’s Hospital to Tal-Qroqq, has also taken its time, is also a fair comment that can be made.

But the buck stops there. To continue trying to find needles in the haystack on anything that concerns Mater Dei Hospital makes the MLP look like trying to take political advantage of something as important as health, even when there are no issues. Or, worse, that it tries to create doubts in people’s minds that not everything is being done as it should be, knowing that in health matters people are sensitive and, as such, more gullible.

The problem is that, when it backfires, it backfires badly, and it is the MLP that ends up losing, and losing heavily too, in political terms.

The latest such incident came about soon after the first landmark medical procedures were performed by consultant cardiologist Prof. Albert Fenech last week. In a terse statement, the MLP spokesman on health Michael Farrugia criticised the government for not taking all precautions possible against

complications that could have arisen during the

procedures.

He went as far as saying that hospital theatres were not functioning at the time, and that an ambulance was on standby in case it became necessary for patients to be taken to St Luke’s. He called on the government to treat the migration process more seriously without endangering the health of patients.

The reply did not take long to come, and this time, apart from the government’s own intervention to respond to Dr Farrugia’s claims, Prof. Fenech himself took the trouble of issuing a public statement that literally blasted all that was stated by Dr Farrugia as having simply been an attempt at making “cheap” allegations to gain political advantage.

Prof. Fenech explained that no surgical theatres need to be on standby while coronary angiograms are taking place. It does not happen anywhere, and it does not need to happen in Malta.

He invited anyone in the medical profession “who has serious knowledge of the cardiac profession to challenge” what he was saying, adding that he does not accept criticism about his work “from people who have no understanding of the cardiac profession, and certainly not from politicians”.

It would have been better for whoever made these allegations not to undermine their natural intelligence and integrity by making cheap politically biased allegations based on misinformation, he

concluded.

In other words, Prof. Fenech was telling Dr Farrugia, that he – (Dr Farrugia) had messed up badly, and that he should check his facts properly and professionally before he issued statements that could cause alarm.

Statements like that made by Dr Farrugia – and that are immediately shot down – undermine the credibility of the MLP. But rather than accept that he had made a mistake and, perhaps apologise to the people (is it asking too much?), Dr Farrugia went on to issue a second statement in which he described the whole matter as being a “gimmick”. Is saving people’s lives a gimmick, one asks?

That Dr Farrugia knows that he is in the wrong – but is afraid to admit it – can be seen from the fact that he has declined to take part in a TV show that will be discussing the issue. He knows that he cannot defend what he said.

Next time, he should be more careful.