A total of 880 babies have been born since the IVF law was introduced, with another 163 on the way, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said.

This is a success story involving the government and the private sector, he said in an interview with this media house.

Abela was asked how the Ministry now evaluates public -private partnership in healthcare, particularly in procurement and risk assessments, compared to when the Vitals (later Steward) concession was first pursued.

"With the private sector, we are operating the 1400 helpline, we increased the number of elective operations in these hospitals, where we also reduced the waiting times for knee replacements, hernia surgery, endoscopies. At the same time, we have increased the number of people who go in private hospitals and do MRI scans, with the government paying for it," Abela said.

In 2024, government also worked with the private sector with regards to IVF outsourcing, while the ART clinic in Mater Dei was being refurbished.

Abela said that since IVF law reform, 880 babies were born and another 163 are expected, totalling 1,043 babies, which he described as a success story of cooperation with the private sector.

The ICC ruling

Following the ICC tribunal ruling on the three hospitals' concession, which said that the Maltese citizens were the victims of the deal which had earlier been rescinded by the courts of law, Abela did not make any statement in Parliament addressing the findings.  He was asked why he chose not to speak at that point, given the ruling's significance.

Abela said he did not address the ICC ruling in Parliament because he replied to multiple parliamentary questions on the matter.

"The ICC verdict is straight to the point, and I do not believe there is the need for my personal interpretation. Government came out with its assessment, and that is my assessment," he said.

Prime Minister Robert Abela had said that the government had defended the national interest, yet the ICC tribunal had concluded that the primary victims were the citizens of Malta.

Minister Jo-Etienne Abela was asked on his response as Health Minister, and if he understood why some viewed this message as an attempt to downplay the ruling.

"I don't want to downplay anything. The ruling is there and the recommendations will be adhered to. As Health minister, I obviously want to make certain that the patients receive what they deserve. I was frank from the beginning; I became Health Minister almost two years ago. My colleagues and I worked to provide a vision of how we can change the situation and how we can improve the situation. This vision is there," Abela said.

He detailed ongoing works at Gozo General, St Luke's and Karin Grech, including master plans, refurbishments, CASE relocation, and the evaluation of long-term redevelopment by an international firm.

Since he became Minister, Abela said that works to improve the existing site at Gozo General have not stopped, with more services being offered. He also mentioned a new pharmacy, a new cardiac lab, and wards which will be redesigned.

The hospital's helicopter service is also arriving directly to Mater Dei, and soon, there will be a helipad at the hospital in Gozo. Abela said that the Ministry has devised a master plan with a completed medical brief.

"We believed that the master plan must be evaluated by a company which has a very strong reputation in having been involved in the development of many hospitals around the world, and we are currently in that process, which should last a few months," Abela said.

He added that there could be adjustments needed, which government will take on board, but once there is a go-ahead for the master plan, it will commence.

"At Gozo General, which is part of the ICC's conclusions, we are moving forward gas down to give the Gozitans what we promised them," Abela said.

He said that the same can be said on St Luke's and Karin Grech, where this year, a budget has been allocated to refurbish the H Block at St Luke's Hospital.

Abela also spoke about the relocation of the CASE, an amalgamation of the CDAU and the Child Psychiatric Unit, which are currently services offered at St Luke's, but which will move to a new unit in Birkirkara in the coming weeks.

Abela said that this unit will serve its functions for around five years, as the CASE permanent unit will then take its place back at St Luke's where the Malta Enterprise is currently located.

"This is work which has been ongoing for the past year and a half, and we have arrived to the point where we can offer these services to children and youths. It is a new unit including five floors of clinical services, gyms, and Occupational Therapy services, and will be the biggest investment since the CDAU was first founded in the country," Abela said.

On Karin Grech, which is currently a rehabilitation hospital, Abela said that government plans to relocate the patients and services there to another location, whilst Karin Grech is refurbished.

Abela said that that is a process the tender of which has long been issued, and it is currently in the evaluation phase.

"I will admit that I do wish to see the evaluation phase closed once and for all for us to be able to refurbish Karin Grech. In the same way that we have a master plan for Gozo, we have one for St Luke's and Karin Grech, which is currently being evaluated by the same foreign company," Abela said.

"Nobody can say that government is not moving in the right direction," he said, adding that he remains optimistic about implementation.

Dispute with MUMN

The Health Minister was asked about the recent incident between the Health Ministry and the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN).

The union had accused the Minister of 'double standards,' after it said it was taken to Court on New Year's Eve, for "safeguarding the vacation leave rights of nurses working in the Cath Suite.

The MUMN had claimed that at least five elective Cath Suite lists were suspended over the festive period to allow doctors to take leave, while nurses were restricted from doing so, arguing that patient safety concerns were applied selectively.

Abela drew a sharp distinction between general relations with the union and the Cath Lab incident, which he described as fundamentally different.

He said that the original issue concerned one day of leave and could have been resolved internally.

What government could not accept was the directive to stop an essential service, Abela said.

"That is an essential service. There are many avenues where a union can seek the interests of their members, but not the most damaging avenue," he said.

"To kill a fly, you're not going to throw an atomic bomb at it," Abela added.

He said that he does not dictate how industrial action should be taken, but believes such extreme measures are unacceptable when patients' lives are at stake.

"The Cath Lab is an essential service, that we stop the service is a big no-no," he said, noting that the Court upheld government's position and declared the action illegal.

He rejected claims that government acted out of hostility towards the union and claims that the Ministry's relationship with MUMN is persistently adversarial.

"For the past two years, the relationship between the ministry and the union, as far as I am concerned, has been excellent. We listened to the union on various issues, and we agreed on every issue," he said, insisting that the perception of constant conflict is "simply not true".

He cited the early pregnancy unit as one example of cooperation, where Abela said the idea was discussed once, consensus was reached, and the unit materialised.

Abela also pointed to the introduction of a 50% roster for charge nurses following a pilot study, and to the decision to retain the shoe allowance rather than issue standard footwear through a tender.

He added that government even provides €70,000 annually to support MUMN nurse recruitment drives.

"That there is something adversarial and persistent is not the case," Abela said.

The first part of the interview was carried yesterday