The plight of breast cancer sufferers in Malta is being highlighted once more. Helen Muscat, a founder of the Action for Breast Cancer Foundation, pointed out that they are not receiving the best treatment available from the government.
The most notable example is Herceptin treatment, which is effective in one fifth of breast cancer cases. This is not made available by the government and the drug therapy costs Lm16,000.
The harrowing situation of a life-threatening disease is thus made worse by the stark financial burdens these women and their families are forced to incur if they want to avail themselves of these new potentially life-saving drugs.
Although the Community Chest Fund gives support to such people, it takes time to quantify and confirm the support available.
This sad situation explains why an EU-wide health consumer index ranking public health services in the EU shows that Malta's delay in providing new cancer drugs for its patients contributed to it slipping to the 20th place from the 13th position it occupied in the same survey last year.
Health Minister Louis Deguara said Herceptin was not given to breast cancer sufferers because it was not yet on the list of drugs given free of charge by the government. He was stating the obvious when he added that the government does not have unlimited resources and is obliged to prioritise.
He recognised that various services, such as the provision of drugs for chronic disease, were not means-tested and this was creating social injustices. He further admitted that for the past three years he had been insisting that the whole system be reviewed. Alas, he stopped short from saying why he was unsuccessful.
Three years in the life of a government is a long time. By now, the minister should have launched a programme with clear suggestions on how to cut down on waste, address the practice of blanket services free of charge and propose strategies to target services to those most in need.
The latest news is that the government intends to launch a national breast screening programme.
The government cannot procrastinate further. At this rate, the much-vaunted health service will not be sustainable. Providing health care services free of charge for everyone in all cases is beyond any government's capability.
Also, the government must address its responsibilities to control factors that are clearly contributing to increasing levels of carcinogens in our environment. It is well known that Malta has one of the highest incidences of breast cancer, which is associated with high concentrations of dioxin.
The government cannot plead ignorance. Unlike behavioural habits, such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption, in this case the responsibility lies squarely at the feet of public authorities.
Meanwhile, it is of paramount importance that the deserving cases, especially those facing life-threatening situations, get the full-fledged support of the government service.
The government needs to have a health service project that assures full support for the most deserving. Whether it includes cooperating with the private medical sector or not is irrelevant. What counts is that access to vital treatment services are made available in such cases.
Social justice demands no less. Cancer sufferers cannot remain in the lurch any longer.