Health sector must be sustainable – Claudio Grech

The Nationalist Party will soon launch a series of consultative discussions with interested stakeholders to determine what the priorities should be within the sector.

PN spokesperson for health, Claudio Grech.
PN spokesperson for health, Claudio Grech.

The health sector must not only adequately provide for today’s people but it must also be sustainable enough to be able to provide for future generations, the Nationalist spokesperson for health, Claudio Grech, said.

“Community and primary care must be sustainable, capable of guaranteeing a viable future for the sector,” Grech said, explaining the PN’s position on such care in light of recommendations made by the Council of the European Union in its 2014 programme.

Amongst the proposals, the Council recommended that during the period 2014 – 2015, Malta should “ensure that a comprehensive reform in the public health system leads to the cost-effective and sustainable use of  available resources, such as the strengthening of primary care.

Grech said that the sector was increasingly facing challenges but laid into government for what he perceived to be a lack development in the sector, with few initiatives implemented. A lack of strategy, misuse of precious resources, and a lack of coordination were amongst the issues outlined by Grech.

He added that the PN have outlined community and primary care as an important aspect of its policy and will therefore promote the need for long-term tangible actions. In the coming weeks, the Nationalist Party will launch a series of consultative discussions with interested stakeholders to determine what the priorities should be within the sector.