Four years since that memorable March, the Labour Government is still delivering on - and consolidating further - all the parts of its manifesto, as approved by one of the largest majorities in Malta's political history.
Notwithstanding our busy schedules during Malta's presidency of the EU Council, we remain constantly focused on people's needs and expectations and committed to accomplishing the last remaining targets set for this first legislature. During these first four years, our commitment has never failed to lose sight of the foremost purpose that has guided us in everything that we had to implement: the building of a fair and equitable society.
Within my own remit for the elderly and disability sectors, the last week was again packed with rewarding events that have been taking shape over the last months.
Symposium on dysphasia
My week started with addressing Speech and Language Pathology professionals attending an important symposium on an impairment that presents itself to me quite often in our homes for older people. In fact, last year alone at the St Vincent de Paule Facility 14,846 speech and language units were booked by residents, in relation to 891 new cases taken up by the professionals. And cases of dysphasia are quite high.
The government is not merely a service provision enabler, but also a policy maker and guardian. As a government, we are fully committed to ensuring that social justice and equity are the essential movers of the Fair Society we want to establish through legislative, economic and social measures. And one of the best ways in which the government can be informed in respect of shaping, constantly updating and implementing such policies is through the input and feedback received in symposia such as the one held last Monday. I was very pleased indeed that dementia also featured on the agenda of this symposium. The multifaceted nature of dementia necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to dementia management and care, not least through speech and language interventions delivered through qualified pathologists.
Malta is facing the inevitable consequences of healthier lifestyles which, coupled with advances in medical care, increase life expectancy. It is common knowledge that, as a result, neuro-degenerative diseases normally associated with old age, such as many forms of dementia, are on the increase. This is causing a significant demand not only on the health and social care services, but also on society as a whole. In our National Dementia Strategy for 2015-2023 we highlighted various measures - most of which are now being implemented - in order to enhance the quality of life of individuals with dementia, their care-givers and family members.
Consultants' services
A new service will see home-bound elderly people have access to a medical consultant in their own homes. I was pleased to launch this programme, which is already available to those signed up for the government's community care programme, and new cases will be accepted from April.
Addressing the enthusiastic elderly people who packed Paola's Active Ageing Centre, I explained that 'Commcare' will be coordinating it and we will be able to continue putting the patient at the centre of all necessary care. Commcare is the government service-provider that offers community-based care and which has some 800,000 visits a year. The new service complements a long list of community services and will now help the home-bound elderly in Malta and in Gozo avoid resorting to private care. As in all other services we provide, this also applies at a national level and is available to all those over the age of 60.
I also emphasised that the service is a continuation of the government's vision of putting community services at the centre of work being done, and in fact the project is the result of recommendations made by the people on the ground who provide community care.
Skills Space in Sliema
A new centre in Sliema for people with a disability will help them develop the skills necessary to live an independent life. At the inauguration of the 'Skills Space' centre on Wednesday, those who will be using the services it provides, and their families, could appreciate how the new premises are equipped with various tools to help disabled people, their family members and carers adapt to the difference between life at home and life in specialised centres. This new project involves a €750,000 yearly outlay.
Carers and relatives will receive training on how to better involve clients in their everyday life and help them realise their abilities. Ten clients have already been enrolled in the programme, with the number expected to rise to 50 in the coming months. From a wider angle, the new training centre - in the heart of the Sliema community - will eventually be hosting a greater number of participants, including relatives and carers attending specialised coordinated sessions.
It is to be noted that the new centre will adopt the most modern practices in training people with a disability. This care model, embodied by the Skills Space, will prove more effective and will create a continuous loop between work at the centre and life at home. It will also serve as a model to all other 11 centres around both Malta and Gozo in which we are continuing to invest heavily with regard to refurbishment and upgrading.
Between real and fake
Four years on, Labour continues to work relentlessly to create more wealth for the Maltese and Gozitans. The kind of services we provide for our citizens - particularly those in the more vulnerable sectors of our society - are evidence of our never-ending commitment to demonstrate that we mean what we say. Social justice, equity and social inclusion are our foremost concerns. Consultation is our efficient tool, with positive and constructive criticism most welcome because it spurs on the indispensable joint efforts for the good of our country.
In the same way, we reject all forms of fake and malicious outbursts which have never ceased since a huge majority ousted the most corrupt gangs that led the country until March 2013. Labour can only amend and remedy for past scandalous administrations and in so doing set the benchmarks for good governance, irrespective of how hard it is for the rejected administrators to adapt to a modern and progressive society. It is indeed sad to note that those same people have never really learned the lesson and, to add insult to injury to our young democracy, can only afford to create useless and repetitive obstacles to a highly flourishing economy from which both Malta and Gozo are benefitting.
Injecting doubts at any stage and lies about any of us in Labour is in itself the desperate solution for anyone who has not the least vision of governing the country towards further prosperity. In the meantime, we move ahead for more years of true service to our nation's future, fully aware of the resilience of our intelligent citizens who can easily distinguish between real and fake, between tangible proof and damn lies.
Dwejra lives on
The sad moment the Azure Window - known around the world - collapsed this week showed how much our natural heritage depends on the irresistible power of Mother Nature. For us Gozitans it feels as if a prominent part of us has been crushed by the raging seas after millennia of formation.
Whether it was a unique tourist attraction or a natural and constant landmark for its immediate neighbours, the picturesque surroundings of Dwejra will remain to remind us that the whole area is a very rich ensemble of natural gifts that will still stand to create further awareness and pride. Apart from the Azure Window, Mother Nature has given us untold resilience to withstand such sad events and come up with the necessary solutions and alternatives that will always display the unique natural, cultural and social gem that is Gozo for the Maltese Archipelago!