Labour propose seven ways to cut hospital waiting lists
Long waiting lists at Mater Dei Hospital can be addressed by sub-contracting operations to private hospitals and carrying out medical audits to ensure all patients are followed up on, the Labour Party has proposed.
The party proposed seven measures to address hospital waiting lists, a problem which was raised by the Ombudsman last week.
The Labour Party spokesmen for social policy and health, Michael Farrugia and Anthony Zammit said the government needed to introduce better hospital management.
It also had to make better use of operating theatres, forge a partnership with employees to work after hours to enable more operations to be performed, while increasing the number of consultants and specialists.
The government should also assure all those on the waiting lists that their operation will be performed within a defined period, while carrying out a medical audit to ensure all patients are properly followed up.
Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino last week criticised hospital waiting lists, which remained "shrouded by a thick veil of unaccountable criteria", and pointed his finger at consultants who, he said, maintained a stranglehold on the way operations were scheduled.
He criticised the fact that consultants had their own individual appointment diary, rather than a more accountable, centralised system of appointments.
The Medical Association replied that the long waiting lists were not caused by the system in place but by staff and bed shortages.
In agreement with this, Social Policy Minister John Dalli, speaking during a debate on Tuesday, said the key to resolving the situation lay in opening the 13 unused operating theatres at Mater Dei, pointing out that only 12 of 25 operating theatres were being used due to lack of nursing and medical staff.
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d briffa
Jan 23rd 2009, 09:10
@ Mr Andrew Cumbo..
Please don't be too much enthusiast about labour having started to distrinute free medicines..
If you think about it.. free medicines are one of the main culprits for not having enough beds in acute hospitals.. for not having enough space where to put our elderly.. for not finding enough people to care for the elderly..
The idea of free medicines is now back firing my friend..
Andrew Cumbo
Jan 22nd 2009, 18:19
How can one you criticise PL when he was the pioneer of health services in 70s and 80s. In those years only few wealthy people had the opportunity to obtain personal healthcare. Labour opt to manage St. Lukes Hospital supported by Health Centres, not like the P.N. that closed these same health centres or make them operate to a time limit due staff shortages. Labour started distributing free medicines not like P.N. that nowadays is considering which medicines shall be kept free of charge. As proven above Health for PL was always a truly social aspect for the Maltese citizens.
What you have to admit is that we have a state of the art Hospital with an investment of €516 million that took years for completion after a lot of corruption. Now we are struggling to come in line with waiting lists because no money was invested in human resources.
d briffa
Jan 22nd 2009, 17:54
if mr zammit has the solution for the waiting lists.. why does he not tell us where his fellow consultants are at 11 and even 10 am when they should be at mater dei??
michael fenech
Jan 22nd 2009, 15:03
@Ingrid Jones-cameron
I do not agree with the PL spokesmen. There are enough doctors at mater dei to cut the waiting list.It is just a matter of working full time when they are full time employed.
So are you telling us that you know about this problem and the authorities don’t?
And if they do shouldn’t somebody be responsible ? Why is it in this country of ours no one seems to be accountable for anything? And why in spite of all this, if it’s the party of choice we are not MEN/WOMAEN enough to say something about it ? Like right now not one GONZIPN apologist will say anything, WHY???????????
bernard lynch
Jan 22nd 2009, 14:29
Some comments referred to PL proposals as being so simple a secondary school
student could have thought of them.
Well then, if so, why did the government not think of them and implement them.
I Abela
Jan 22nd 2009, 12:28
@ J.M. Buhagiar - What you said is very true. Health is a political football, both sides claiming they will do miracles once in power, and then fail us miserably once up the throne, because health services are the most costly. But hopefully, when the old generation of voters (who only sees red or blue no matter what) passes away, things will change. The problem in Malta is not the government, its the voters. Even here on these blogs, people always refer to the 60's 70's and 80's. And Mintoff did this to us, and Eddie did that to us, etc etc. Until people stop voting in 2013 for what happened in 1967, then we will never have a serious government.
Ingrid Jones-cameron
Jan 22nd 2009, 12:17
I do not agree with the PL spokesmen. There are enough doctors at mater dei to cut the waiting list. It is just a matter of working full time when they are full time employed. Many consultants are not giving their 8 hour contribution. They show up at their place of wwork, see a couple of patients(many times of their choice) and than abra cadabra and they7 are gone because how can anyone explain how a consultant can be present at a private hospital during working hours at Mater Dei?
J.M. Buhagiar
Jan 22nd 2009, 11:56
Over 10 years ago, my son had to stay in hospital for over a year. I remember which issues turned into problems then and it seems that these problems continue
.
Three nurses had to cater for a whole ward with as much as 36 and more patients. When one nurse is on leave, there remains two. When one is sick too? Only one. All wards suffered the same problems.
I decided at the time to go and speak to the Minister who initially thought I wanted some favour. I did not. I simply asked why this situation is being allowed to prevail!
A situation that puts so much pressure on nursing staff that simply leads any human to making mistakes too. And in fact that is what had happened! It was a matter of life or death! That serious!
And the minister, at least had the decency to say the truth. He said “Joe, unfortunately health services, although these are the most important in life, do not seem to make any party more popular. Funds are often limited and it is useless asking for more. So truth is there is nothing I can do.”
Unacceptable by any measure!