More than eight years ago, the Government promised us a new healthcare hub for the South. A hub that was supposed to start operating in 2020, but which is still not functioning, the Nationalist Party said Thursday.

Six months ago, the Minister stated that only certification was pending. Two weeks ago, reports emerged that another direct order worth €1,700,000 was granted for this hub. And just a few days ago, we learned that an additional €10,000,000 still needs to be spent to complete it, the PN said.

This is a Government of delays, one that spends public money recklessly and without a plan, showing no understanding of people's priorities. Patients and healthcare professionals are suffering as a result of this incompetence, the PN said.

During a press conference in front of the Paola Hub, Shadow Minister for Health Adrian Delia and Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Mental Health Ian Vassallo stated that Robert Abela's Government has been deceiving people and wasting time for years regarding healthcare.

The people of the South were promised a small hospital to serve their needs. Public funds were spent, yet the public remains underserved.

A few months ago, in a pre-election stunt before the June elections, Robert Abela and Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela visited the Paola Hub, claiming that within a "short period," it would serve nearly one-third of Malta's population - around 130,000 people from the South. To date, the number of people who have received care at this centre is zero.

This is not the first time Robert Abela's Government has gone off-mark regarding this hub, the speakers said.

In 2017, when the project was approved, we were told that this regional hub was expected to accommodate around 600,000 patients annually by 2020. Today, in 2025, it remains closed.

And this is not the only long-promised project that never materialises.

There is an entire list of other healthcare projects that the Government has announced in countless press conferences, which either remain up in the air or have now been scrapped altogether: the new hospital for Gozo, the new mental health hospital, the Northern healthcare hub, and many more.

While the Government dithers and drags its feet, we have patients stuck in endless waiting lists, losing hope that they will ever receive the treatment they need. Patients are forced to go from one centre to another in desperation, hoping to be seen, while others plead for medicines and have to pay for them out of their own pockets because so many essential medications are out-of-stock. Some are forced to buy medicines from pharmacies because those provided by the Government are of inferior quality.

This situation is creating another serious issue, especially for many elderly patients who rely on their pensions, the PN said.

The rising cost of medicines is placing a significant burden on those struggling to stretch their pension or salary until the end of the month.
Many have to pay out of pocket for private healthcare services because they have lost faith in the overcrowded public hospital and health centres.

More often than not, it is the most vulnerable and those on low or middle incomes who suffer the consequences of a Government with no plan, the PN said.
Even those prescribed medical necessities, such as specialised footwear or sleep apnea machines, are being forced to pay for them out of their own pockets, despite these being supposed to be provided for free.

It is clear that this Government has given up and does not even care about trying to provide the people with the healthcare service they deserve.
For the Government, healthcare is just an election slogan, then it discards it, the PN said.

A new Nationalist Government has a clear plan to ensure that the people of Malta and Gozo receive the healthcare service they rightfully deserve.

The PN's proposals are:

Functional health centres across the country, including fully operational hubs in the North and South;

Investment in St. Luke's Hospital, integrating it into the national health system to significantly increase bed capacity, ensuring that no patients are left in corridors, storerooms, or canteens;

The construction of a new general hospital in Gozo;

Serious investment in pharmaceuticals to ensure better access to medicines;

Public funds directed towards essential needs, rather than fraudulent hospital deals like those with Vitals and Steward;

The latest medical equipment to enhance patient care;

Improved working conditions in the healthcare sector to attract more professionals;

Investment in elderly care services;

Investment in mental health services, including a long-overdue new mental health hospital.

A new Nationalist Government will not gamble with the health of the Maltese people.