Asciak claims Labour ministers breached code of ethics

Nationalist MP Michael Asciak has reiterated his call for the government to review the minimum level of doctors' fees, in order to eliminate undercutting.

Speaking in Parliament, he also accused two former Labour government ministers, Michael Farrugia and George Vella, of having violated the ministerial code of ethics by having continued to see patients while serving as ministers.

Dr Asciak said the Ethics of the Medical Profession laid down that it was unlawful for any practitioner to charge a fee which was lower than the official one when the patient could afford the fee. Doctors were free not to charge any fee when the situation so warranted.

Experience showed that needless undercutting was detrimental to patients. Such undercutting was normally made by practices which wanted to retain a monopoly over their clientele, new entrants to the profession and politicians hoping to win votes.

The rule against undercutting was there to protect both doctors and patients.

The problem was that the minimum fee, at 30c, was established in 1939 and was now too low. Some doctors were now charging 50c. Such low tariffs were an injustice and the government and regulators should raise the tariff as had been done for lawyers and architects.

The Medical Council and insurance companies had been urging such a revision but the government had so far not budged, even though patients could avail themselves of the free state medical service, which was not the case for services from lawyers and architects.

Dr Asciak said he was sure that Labour MP George Vella (who criticised Dr Asciak on Tuesday) respected the code of ethics of doctors, but how could he expect to be taken seriously when he did not give much importance to the ministerial code of ethics?

Dr Asciak said he knew for a fact that Dr Vella and Michael Farrugia (MLP), continued to see people and practice medicine when they were ministers, in violation of the code of ethics of ministers. If codes of ethics were not to be respected, they should be withdrawn.

How could the opposition accuse Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela of allegedly violating the code of ethics when he continued to meet people in his own office when senior figures on its front bench violated the code when they were ministers?