The Labour Party said that no effort was made by the Opposition to contribute during the consultation phase, which lasted several weeks, regarding the sexual health policy.

This is yet another example of a Nationalist Party that abstained on an important and sensitive issue that should unite our society and not divide it for partisan purposes, the PL said Thursday.

It was replying to a statement issued by the PN which said the government's strategy has several shortcomings which need to be seen to.

The PN proposals are already in the government document, the PL said, and some of them are already being implemented. A typical example is the vaccination programmes against the HPV virus which is related to cervical cancer and "head and neck" cancer.

Not only has this programme been in place since 2013, but it has achieved great success for 90% of 12-year-old girls and has recently been introduced for boys too.

The strategy launched by the Labour Government is based on five main pillars that have been researched and detailed in a 59-page document by experts in the field. Unlike the Opposition, the Government's Strategy goes into detail on:

- how we will strengthen health promotion, education, and prevention.

- how we will increase medical services, including screening, treatment of related diseases, and re-organization of public services.

- how we should address reproductive health needs, including family planning and contraceptives.

- how we should address people in special groups.

- how we will deal with issues of governance, innovation, and more research.

The government received 23 recommendations during the public consultation period, which shall now be evaluated and optimally integrated into the strategy, the PL said.