Health minister, shadow minister on the same page on a number of health sector issues

Health minister Jo Etienne Abela and his opposition counterpart Adrian Delia appeared to be on the same page on a number of issues when they discussed Malta's health sector on TVM's Xtra.

Abela and Delia, who've both been occupying their posts for the past few weeks, were fielding questions regarding the health sector. When asked to make a list of the sector's priorities, Delia mentioned Mater Dei's emergency department, which he described as being strained by the rapid increase in population during the past decade. 

It is for the same reason that Delia noted the importance of the country having a second hospital. When asked by Saviour Balzan whether he believes that the country's finances can deliver such a hospital, Delia said that they can, if state funds are properly spent.

Responding to this, the health minister agreed that the emergency department is a priority for him, noting that this can be addressed through measures such as expanding the emergency services beyond Mater Dei Hospital. This, according to him, can be done by providing the same services in nation-wide centres as well as through more partnerships with the private health sector.

The health minister shifted towards a pressing projection, highlighting that this year, the number of people over 60 will surpass the number of people below that age, which means that the health sector will have to deal with increasing numbers of patients. 

The pair also spoke about the fraudulent hospitals concession, as Delia noted that Abela has inherited a problem which means that the Maltese health sector had been stalled for eight years.

In his rebuttal, Abela disagreed with that statement, noting that despite the deal, Malta's health sector delivers good results, notably when it comes to cancer treatments. This, the minister said, could not be possible if government had not invested in the health sector.

Towards the end of their discussion, the PN's health spokesperson noted that strains on the health sector could be avoided through investing in the prevention of diseases, rather than only focussing on curing patients.

In fact, Delia noted that patients who suffer from obesity and respiratory diseases could be avoided if government invested in education and cleaner air.