Claudia Calleja
Healthcare will remain free of charge, government insists
Medical treatment would remain free of charge and the government planned to strengthen the service it offered by improving on primary healthcare, the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Joe Cassar insisted yesterday.
"People have no reason to worry," he said as he accused the Labour Party of taking a government health report out of context and alarming people unnecessarily.
He stressed that the report, published by Labour leader Joseph Muscat on Tuesday, had not been approved by Cabinet when it was discussed.
"That report was not the real thing. When the real thing is complete we'll discuss it with the public," he said, adding that the government was compiling a primary healthcare reform report that would be launched for public consultation once concluded.
The report on primary healthcare compiled by a government-appointed task force, which was still officially under wraps when Dr Muscat released a copy, suggested stopping the health centre doctor service and moving towards a means-tested access to free healthcare, among other things.
Dr Cassar insisted that the PL had taken the report completely out of context as Cabinet had not accepted the suggestions contained in the report.
In an official statement last night, the government reiterated that health services would remain free. The government insisted it did not agree with a proposal in the report to close down health centres because these offered a free service to those truly in need.
"The government is committed to further improve health services, especially primary care offered in localities and health centres," it said.
Meanwhile, the General Workers' Union yesterday called on the government to "categorically declare" that healthcare would remain free for everyone.
"Healthcare is a fundamental human right irrespective of the citizen's level and social class," the union said.
The Nationalist Party accused the GWU of joining the PL's "partisan and dishonest campaign" aimed at deceiving the population.
"The government, led by the Nationalist Party, has made it amply clear that health services will remain free," the PN reiterated.
The PN added that the Labour government led by former PL leader Alfred Sant had been the only Administration, which, in 1997, had imposed taxes on health and Dr Muscat had backed him up.
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V Battistino
May 30th 2009, 09:37
Cabinet and any entity can discuss as much and on what it wants....its not the discussion which actually matters, but when a final decision is taken...discussion is healthy for exchange of ideas....I'm sure that any gov't or party executive discusses also controversial issues.......anyway....
A report presenting (to none other than Cabinet) one solution is a non starter ! Such reports should offer a number of alternatives to be credible.....
Jeanette Mifsud
May 29th 2009, 14:26
This is a u turn by gonzi cause he is now confirming discussion at cabinet level. He is lying, it was pn that increased vat to pay for health. The statement "those most in need" has a catch, not universal free access. Gonzi is playing with words and cannot be trusted.
Leo Said
May 29th 2009, 13:38
Anyone, regardless of political colour, who says that state of the art health care can remain free of charge for a long time to come, can only be credited with professional incompetence.
It is not only a pity, and a disappointment, but also an unforgivable error that Dr.Martin Balzan and Dr.Joe Cassar respectively refrained from participating in yesterday's Realta discussion on One TV.
C Micallef
May 29th 2009, 13:30
Hundreds of people, to say the least , need to take expensive Plavix for serious heart conditions. Scores of childless couples pay thousands of Euros for IVF. I'll stop here!
P. Schembri
May 29th 2009, 11:54
Of course health care will be free now. The cat's out of the bag, and the Government can't do anything about it except to deny it. I'm sure that from now to the General Elections, they will remain free. Just to spite Labour of course, and to cover its back. Tha
Galea. L
May 29th 2009, 11:28
Can the PN illuminate us whether when one finds that a medicine to which s/he is entitled to get from the government pharmacy is not available and s/he has to buy it the money spent is a tax?
"That report was not the real thing. When the real thing is complete we'll discuss it with the public," he said, adding that the government was compiling a primary healthcare reform report that would be launched for public consultation once concluded."
So they are now not denying that there was the report but that there is now going to be another REPORT. Who are you trying to fool Gonzi?
Dr Muscat scuppered your plans and the people had better give a resounding answer to Gonzi at the MEP election to safeguard free (already paid for through OUR taxes) health care.
jcmicallef
May 29th 2009, 11:04
People should stop saying 'how much the health service is costing the government' becasue it's not costing the governemnt anything - rather, it costs US, the taxpayers.
The government is there to manage things to the best benefit of the people - or have we forgotten that? But socialist 'Government-always-thinks-for-you-mentality' remains, it seems.
As a hard working and honest tax paying citizen, i do not expect to be treated differently from anyone else. Not coming from a wealthy or rich family, I worked hard to get where I am, and I'm quite sure that if I did it, then everybody can.
God knows how many 'poor' people we subsidise with our taxes and NI. Most of these (excluding the elderly and the REALLY sick and disabled) are probably taking all of us and the government for a ride.
It is amazing how governments first do their utmost to create a monster (like the social service system that encourages people not to work or a mentality that the Government is your 'mummy') and then add insult to injury with some silly report like this.
Nothing is free - someone is always paying. It's mismanagement that screws everything up.
R. Grech
May 29th 2009, 10:56
You see all Dalli lovers and Gonzi haters, health will remain free. Hold on, Dalli is a minister of Gonzi....
Pauline Briffa
May 29th 2009, 10:15
Dr Gonzi never denied discussing this issue at cabinet level and the GWU has the right to seek assurance, the PN Party is lying on its commitment to free health to everyone, it was the PN that increased VAT to pay for health. Where are these funds going? This is much more expensive that Sant's 50c