The document explaining the reform the government intends to implement in the primary health care sector has one main aim – that of putting the needs of the patient first. And, to do this, the plans are to once again encourage the people to have a general practitioner who is their focal point for all the medical needs.

It was somewhat shocking to hear Social Policy Minister John Dalli and Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar say, when they launched the document last Saturday, that only 30 per cent of the population has a family doctor to whom they go on a regular basis.

The rest of the population either does not have their own general practitioner, or else, in the majority of cases, prefer to have different doctors. What is worse is that the majority of people literally “skip” family doctors and go straight to specialists, who often turn out to be the wrong consultant they need for their particular ailments.

Through the reform, the government will encourage everyone to register with one doctor of their own choice. The registration will be free of charge, as will be the doctors’ own registration with the government.

A doctor who knows one’s individual medical history is a great asset to the individual concerned, and people should realise the benefit of having one doctor who knows them inside out. Such a registration would also enable the doctor to have access, with the patient’s consent, to all his or her medical history.

It must be remembered that family doctors are specialists in their own way. While other doctors specialise in various medical fields such as psychiatry, paediatrics and surgery, family doctors specialise in general practice, and they are in a much better position to deal with the day-to-day medical needs.

If it is then necessary to refer patients to other specialists, then the family doctor would know what his patient needs and send him to the specialist who would be in the best position to help.

During the presentation of the document, it was said that people who cannot afford a private doctor’s fee will be subsidised by the government through a means-testing mechanism. It is hoped that this will not turn out to be just another addition to the list of possible abuses that people can commit in the social security system – we already have enough cheats who receive money they do not deserve: single mothers who register their child as having an unknown father when that same father lives in the same house with the child, people who abuse of sick leave benefits and those who register for work when they earn good money in the black economy.

The government should be well aware that people will continue to try to find ways how to be exempted from paying their family doctor and put the burden on the taxpayer. This should be avoided at all costs.

The reform has other aims, such as the gradual development of health centres into hubs for primary and secondary care interventions at regional level. This would ease the workload on Mater Dei Hospital, which often has to deal with matters that could be seen to elsewhere if the health centres were properly equipped.

In this way, Mater Dei would be able to concentrate on the more serious cases, and possibly develop into a regional health centre in the Mediterranean. But, first of all, it must be ensured that the health centres would be capable of meeting the people’s needs.