Labour MP says tunnel will render Gozo ministry redundant

The construction of a tunnel between Malta and Gozo will remove the need for a ministry for Gozo, Labour MP Franco Mercieca said.

In his brief parliamentary adjournment, the Gozitan MP said that the tunnel will finally allow Gozitan citizens to feel equal to their Maltese peers.

“I am not in favour of positive discrimination in favour of Gozitan citizens, but rather for Maltese and Gozitans to be given the same opportunities,” Mercieca said. “While Gozo will remain a single region on the regional committee, the tunnel will remove need for a Gozo ministry as its functions will be able to fall under their respective ministries,” he said.

Mercieca warned that the success of the Gozo health project – an upgraded hospital and a private hospital – could hinge on the construction of the tunnel.

He said that the Gozo Hospital has long struggled to attract medical specialists and consultants, as Maltese people tend to be reluctant to base themselves in Gozo.

As such, several medical consultant jobs in Gozo have over the years been taken up by foreigners, many of whom have continued working into their old age because replacements for them couldn’t be found.

“Both the upgraded hospital and the medical school will require medical specialists and consultants,” Mercieca said. “If this situation isn’t addressed, then the health project in Gozo will struggle, but if a permanent link is built then it will be a success.”