Editorial 15/09/2002

The case of overcharging in the medical sector

Yesterday The Times featured a report and contributions about the plight of a British tourist at the hand of Maltese consultants and a private hospital.

Typically for Maltese newspapers, previous reports on the subject and appearing in other media were conveniently ignored. It is proper to point out that the origins of overcharging and the case of Prof. Buhagiar first surfaced in In-Nazzjon followed by investigative reports in MaltaToday.

A cursory look at what had been said in both newspapers would have added some flavour to the comments carried by Labour spokesman Louis Buhagiar.

More interestingly, the legalistic and narrow-minded reactions by the Malta Medical Council on this matter would have been highlighted

And yet, the report gives the impression that this is the first time that this sort of ‘complaint’ has reached the press.

MaltaToday has described in some detail the fees meted out by Prof. Louis Buhagiar.

The case that was brought to the attention of The Times raises a number of issues.

The salient one is that some private consultants could be having a field day when it comes to the nature of the fees.

The second issue relates to the fact that complaints by British patients to their insurance agencies in the UK has led many foreign agencies to consider upping the premiums for Malta to the ones applied for emergency health insurances in the US and Canada.

The third issue is the apparent apathy emanating from the Malta Medical council and MAM in addressing these serious complaints.

The ‘diligent’ judiciary

Yesterday Dr Austin Gatt was reported to have said that there are three to four magistrates who spend long hours at night clubs.

He did not mention them by name. We all know who he is referring to but the public does not.

The media is accused more often than not of generalising. Why not mention the magistrates – Dr Gatt – instead of giving the impression that everyone is in the same fold.

More than regular binge drinking and clubbing, the Minister should be more concerned about some magistrates' business links.

This newspaper has said it over and over again, that it cannot accept that members of the judiciary continue to have business connections. We pointed this out when Noel Arrigo was appointed Chief Justice and no one cared.

Perhaps, it is high time, that the Justice Minister approached the matter in a more constructive way by referring to the judges and magistrates who are upright, exemplary and diligent in their work.

Chaos on the airwaves

That the Broadcasting Authority is a dinosaur is not news. But perhaps the government should learn a lesson from the latest farce. The BA has sparked off a legal battle that has led PBS, the state TV, to air Labour Party spots as a response to MIC adverts.

MIC has been dealt a very severe blow with this decision.

The MLP spots are propaganda slots, nothing more and nothing less.

Whereas foreign Broadcasting Authorities are chaired by veteran politicians, the one in Malta is led by a former Chief Justice of yesteryear and a chief executive also a lawyer renowned for his excessive rigidity and inflexibility.

What will inevitably follow now, is a bombardment of slots from all political parties and lobby groups about Europe, leading to chaos on the air waves.

That is what happens when two individuals with no idea of media, communications and dissemination of information are asked to run a broadcasting authority.