After years of theft, deception, and collusion with fraudsters in the healthcare sector, no one expects the same Government that created the crisis in this sector to be the one to solve it, the Nationalist Party said Wednesday.
Those who caused the problem cannot be the solution. In healthcare, the Government has failed. Labour has given up on the health of the Maltese and Gozitans, it added.
At a press conference held right in front of the Emergency Department at Mater Dei Hospital, Shadow Minister for Health Adrian Delia and Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Mental Health Ian Vassallo expressed what they described as "the deep sorrow" felt by the Maltese people at the state to which the Government has reduced Mater Dei Hospital. This main hospital of our nation is sinking in every sense - structurally, in terms of staff and medical professionals providing their services, and above all, in the healthcare services it is supposed to offer to patients.
They explained how the Government's lack of investment and planning, as well as the neglect of the healthcare sector, has plunged the country into a crisis. This has even led the Health Minister to admit that we are facing an emergency and that the system is on the brink of collapse.
Instead of focusing on resolving this crisis, Minister Jo Etienne Abela is admitting that the Government has no solutions. Rather than providing guarantees, he attempts to console us by pointing out that other countries are in a similar or worse situation, the PN said.
The Government is admitting its failure in healthcare, acknowledging that without turning to the private sector, everything will continue to collapse because it has no other ideas for addressing the situation.
Delia and Vassallo highlighted that this could have easily been avoided. The crisis has arisen due to the Government's lack of planning in various areas, issues that have been known for years and left unaddressed until they escalated into problems. These include the unchecked population growth without any planning, seasonal illnesses, and the limited number of beds to meet ever-increasing demand.
The speakers also pointed to other problems plaguing the healthcare sector, also caused by the Government, such as empty promises of projects that were never implemented or have been entirely forgotten. These include the new Gozo hospital, the Mother-Baby Hospital, the new Outpatients Department, and a new mental health hospital.
Additionally, there are issues in primary care, such as the closed health centre in Rabat, the condemned building in Floriana, the much-touted but unfulfilled promise of the Northern Hub, and problems with the Southern Hub in Paola. Other issues include out-of-stock and outdated medicines.
Faced with all this, instead of addressing these challenges, the Government and the Health Minister have chosen to attack doctors and the Opposition, which has not only offered constructive criticism but also its assistance in finding necessary solutions.
Rather than collaborating with doctors and those offering help, the Government attacks - even personally - those it should be working with to find solutions.
The PN said it has a vision for healthcare, and a new Nationalist Government will ensure:
- Functioning health centres across the country, including the Northern and Southern Hubs
- Investment in St Luke's Hospital, incorporating it into the healthcare system to significantly increase the number of patient beds, avoiding the need to house patients in corridors, stores, and canteens
- Construction of a new general hospital in Gozo
- Serious investment in medicines
- Proper allocation of funds to necessary healthcare expenses rather than selling hospitals to fraudsters, as the current Government did with Vitals and Steward
- State-of-the-art medical equipment to provide the best possible patient care
- Improved working conditions in the healthcare sector to attract more professionals
- Investment in our elderly population
- Investment in mental health, including the long-promised but never-built new hospital for this sector.
In these circumstances, the two Shadow Ministers reiterated that the PN will continue to offer its assistance and put forward its proposals while appealing for dialogue. The Party remains ready to contribute to addressing this sensitive sector.