After a "saga" of corruption, the Labour government has moved on to incompetence as plans that were prepared for the health sector were discarded in spite of a hefty expenditure, Shadow Minister for Health Adrian Delia said on Monday.
"We have a government that when not stuck in corruption is instead incompetent," Delia said when addressing the media outside Mount Carmel Hospital. He pointed out that after the saga, spanning years, of the "theft of €400 million" from the deal which saw three hospitals being passed on to the private sector, the government has "moved on to incompetence." He said that under the Labour government, a change in minister means a change in plans and instead of aiming for state of the art, they have achieved a "state of incompetence."
Delia said saying that €10 million were spent on plans for Mount Carmel Hospital, however a few months ago it was announced that it is set to become a care home for the elderly. He said that though care homes are needed, mental health problems rose by 25% meaning that 1 in 4 people are likely to suffer from a mental health issue, with the figure "rising daily".
Delia pointed out the urgent need for a health centre in the north of Malta which, though planned, was suddenly cancelled with no consultation to the stakeholders and patients being directed to find treatment in Gozo. With regards to the South, he said that Paola Hub, which cost taxpayers €40 million, is now mired in litigation that escalated to international levels due to issues with an Italian tender.
He added that despite of plans for a new and upgraded Outpatients Department at Mater Dei Hospital, nothing has come of it yet.
Delia that under the PN, changes in the health sector will be planned in advance with stakeholders being consulted.
On his part, spokesman Ian Vassallo said that the Mater Dei Outpatients upgrade had received the go-ahead from the MEPA, amongst other authorities, a few years ago, yet nothing has been done yet. He honed in on Primary Care within the Health Sector and pointed out that it has not been sufficiently invested in with increasing waiting lists, despite the government saying otherwise. He pointed out that patients have been reaching out to the PN to say that they have been waiting for years for an operation to the point that it becomes too late.
Vassallo said that the Labour government is inconsistent with ever-changing plans and went on to express solidarity with the patients and their families. "The PN hears you, we see what you are going through and we will invest in the health sector," he said. Adding that under the PN, patients will not have to reach into their own personal resources to gain access to healthcare via the private health sector with some being unable to keep up with the expenses.
Vassallo concluded that currently, patients get lost in society and within the health sector with money being spent, "thrown away" and ultimately no results.