Parliamentary Secretary for Health Joe Cassar yesterday quashed what he called "unjust media articles", alleging irregular immigrants were not given medical services by saying that, during the last 16 months, the refugees' health bill had cost the Exchequer €385,678.

Speaking on the Bill amending the Refugees Act, Dr Cassar revealed that last year, 258 irregular immigrants and refugees had been given medical services and 896 had regular treatment in out-patient clinics. In the first four months of 2008 there had been 106 cases of clinical services and 830 out-patients.

Also last year, 82 operations had been performed on irregular immigrants, of which 45 had been on appointment and 37 in emergency situations.

Twenty of these operations had been of a major nature, 27 intermediate and 35 minor, ranging from orthopaedic to dentistry.

The first four months of 2008 had already seen 31 operations: 20 planned and 11 emergencies. Medical services between January and December 2007 had cost €293,442, compared to €57,033 this year at Mater Dei Hospital.

In the first four months of this year 1,665 irregular immigrants received some form of treatment.

Dr Cassar said the majority of irregular immigrants were given attention at the Floriana or Mosta health centres, but there were also frequent occasions of community service, with doctors visiting detention centres.

An international medical association was currently in talks with the government on helping with such medical services. It was not true, he said, that the government had denied this or any other organisation access to immigrants. It was important for journalists to be truthful.

Throughout 2007, irregular immigrants had been given 4,056 injections, costing a total of €12,994. The cost of paying the human resources involved in giving medical treatment amounted to €22,209.

Earlier, Dr Cassar revealed that the UNHCR had said that, per capita, Malta was the third country in which most applications were made by would-be refugees. It was very telling that the statement had not come from Malta but from an outside source - all the more reason why the EU should accept the need for burden sharing in the matter.

In this context, non-EU countries such as the US were being much more helpful to Malta in taking refugees.

There was no denying that irregular immigrants were undergoing a huge personal trauma, but neither could it be denied that Malta and its people had done nothing to deal with the problem. Although it was having the problem thrust upon it, Malta had never failed to respect these people's rights.

Concluding, Dr Cassar said not everything was perfect, but everyone should consider the burden that irregular immigration placed on Malta's resources. Certain criticism was unjust.