Family doctors willing to increase services

Private family doctors have asked for more empowerment to be able to give more services to patients while helping to cut waiting lists within the public health sector.

Contacted by The Times following a round table conference with Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, the president of the Association of Private Family Doctors, Anthony Azzopardi, said that many times a general practitioner has to refer a patient to a consultant at hospital instead of ordering tests himself. This puts more pressure on the public health service, increasing waiting lists as well as costs.

"Many times we can carry out investigations ourselves," Dr Azzopardi said. Moreover, there is an impact on the economy, with patients losing out on workdays to attend appointments at hospital, normally in the morning.

"We can help to alleviate the pressure on the public health care system," he said.

At the opening of the conference, which forms part of the Nationalist Party's Independence Day celebrations, Dr Gonzi acknowledged the importance of GPs, referring to them as "a treasure" for the country.

He reiterated his party's electoral promise to focus on strengthening primary health care during this legislature, saying it was imperative to have more human resources, including health carers, specialising in primary care.

"The next big step is in community care - on the ground with families," he said, calling on healthcare professionals to help out so that a leap of quality is possible.

The Prime Minister mentioned the migration to Mater Dei Hospital, which was a success despite scepticism by some people. Despite the challenges posed by a shortage in human resources and higher costs, the government believed that this asset would reach a level of excellence by 2015, compete in the region and become one of seven pillars of opportunity for the country.

In fact, he continued, the government was already working to determine which opportunities could be tapped, adding that while this was a long and complicated road, opportunities existed.

However, Dr Gonzi noted, challenges were still present, including in human resources and higher costs, increasing medicine prices and the prioritisation of government-paid medicines.

Looking at the social sphere, the Prime Minister spoke about the importance of helping the most vulnerable in view of the increasing cost of oil and providing social housing for genuine cases. Referring to the ongoing debate on rent reform, he said the social burden should not be carried by individuals but by the state.

He also referred to the importance of the family. "There are big challenges ahead but also solutions," he said, expressing certainty that together, without turning issues into a political football, solutions could be found.