The agreement that was reached at the end of last week between the government and the Medical Association of Malta was a step in the right direction.

An industrial dispute is always a matter of concern, but it is particularly so when it affects the health sector. People are at their most vulnerable state when facing a health emergency, and the last thing they would need is the extra complication of health workers obeying orders from their union/s. Unions, of course, have the right to register disputes to protect their members but, as we always say, industrial action should always be the last resort.

In this case, MAM had decided to order industrial action over what it said was lack of consultation with the union on the government's plans to outsource emergency services from Mater Dei Hospital to the private sector. MAM said that the government did not honour the pledge of speaking to the union before making and implementing the plan of having patients seeking emergency treatment diverted to private clinics to ease the pressure on the public hospital.

There were moments when the situation escalated and some heated words and accusations were exchanged, particularly from the government side, but this is now thankfully in the past and the situation is back under control.

But this does not mean that the crisis is over.

Mater Dei Hospital, just 18 years old, is already too small for the demand - not only when it comes to emergency services - that continues to rise with the increase in the population. The number of people living in Malta in 2007 was just over 400,000; now it is close to 550,000, and it is set to increase further as more and more foreigners settle down on the islands.

This has inevitably led to an increase in individual hospital visits which have stretched the limited resources available to unprecedented highs. The government must not think that by outsourcing the emergency services it has resolved the problem. This should only be a temporary solution, and the government is required to seek and find a more permanent answer to the growing problem.

The Labour government's track record in health, when it comes to investing for the future, has not been good. While it must be said that when Malta faced the Covid-19 pandemic the country lived up to its name of having excellent health services, the same cannot be said for the PL government's way of planning for the future.

We all know that its biggest failure was the idea to pass on three public hospitals to be run by private companies, a deal which was rescinded by the courts of law and which has led to arraignments in court, with top people facing criminal charges. MAM has repeatedly said that 10 years were wasted by the government because of that deal. The union is absolutely right on this score.

It is time for the government to come up with a better plan that sets in motion ways to improve and expand its own facilities. It cannot simply rely on using the private sector.