Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia today distanced himself from the Dalli report on Mater Dei, saying that the report “is not the position of the government.”

“The report is just a snapshot, it shows the way forward. This report will help as a point of departure. The Health Ministry is preparing two more report which take a holistic look as health care in Malta,” Dr Farrugia said at a press conference at Mater Dei.

Dr Farrugia said that the 1.3 million dollar John Hopkins report on Mater Dei gives massive insights into the operations of Mater Dei.

He said it was a shame that the report was not given due importance by the previous administration at the time.

“Now we have another report, that of John Dalli. The Health Ministry will set up a working group to analyse this report and evaluate all that can be done in secondary health care,” Dr Farrugia said. 

In reply to Mr Dalli's assertion that he should not have an office at Mater Dei, Dr Farrugia said that he is a doctor by profession and feels the need to be close to patients. 

 “I am a doctor. I feel for the dignity of the patient. This is why I established a presence at Mater Dei. All that has been highlighted in this report hurts the dignity of the patient, and this hurts me. I believe that I should be in contact with everyone. The distance between management and the employees at Mater Dei was felt,” Dr Farrugia said in reply.