Godfrey Farrugia’s office at Mater Dei to be used for clinical purposes

In an interview with Illum, parliamentary secretary for health Chris Fearne does not rule out a second hospital, hints at possible public-private partnership for the Gozitan healthcare.

The office that former health minister Godfrey Farrugia set up in the emergency department will cease to exist, and will be used for clinical purposes within the emergency department.

Farrugia, a family doctor by profession, opened the office to be able to see more closely how the emergency department operates and intended to make use of it on a daily basis, Farrugia had told Sunday newspaper Illum shortly after being appointed minister.

But in an interview with Illum, the newly appointed Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said he did not intend to use the office and which will be turned into an extension of the emergency department “for the benefit of the patients.”

“I would have another office elsewhere, to be used when meeting the staff and management,” Fearne told the newspaper.

Barely a week into his appointment, Fearne says he is determined to tackle three main priorities: bed shortage at Mater Dei, waiting lists and out of stock medicines.

Asked about the possibility of a second hospital, Chris Fearne said that a new project team is expected to give its recommendations on how to tackle bed shortages in a holistic approach.

While not ruling out the possibility of a second hospital, Fearne insisted that the government is currently considering all options.

He defended Godfrey Farrugia’s performance during the past year, particularly his work in tackling the out-of-stock medicines and other shortcomings inherited from previous administrations.

“Prior to the election, there was an average of 130 out-of-stock medicines. In a couple of months, the health ministry under the stewardship of Godfrey Farrugia managed to reduce this to nearly 50 and during the last two months, this number decreased by a further 25.”

“Is this enough? No. A lot of work has been done to offset these shortcomings, but the next step is for the government to continue working and to address the problem in the long run,” Fearne continued.

From the interview it also transpires that the government has ‘big plans’ for the Gozitan healthcare, hinting at a possible public-private partnership in the near future.

Read more in today’s edition of Illum.