Health Minister stops indicative 'billing' of hospital services

The Health Minister Joseph Cassar has decided not to introduce a system where hospital patients would be made aware of the cost of their hospitalisation through the issue of an invoice - which they would not be required to pay.

Dr Cassar told timesofmalta.com that the system can be deployed immediately but he had decided not to introduce it as he feared that the Labour Party would falsely portray it as laying the ground for health services to be charged.

He insisted that the government had no plans to charge for health services, but there was clearly a need for the people, as well as doctors who order investigations, to be made more aware of the costs of the health service.

Should the PL guarantee that it would not 'spin' the new measure for political purposes, it could be introduced immediately, he said.

"This was an exercise which took two years to complete and I am not prepared to see it misused for political purposes," Dr Cassar said.

"I have no problem is issuing the costings per patients as long as there is no political spin. I do not wish to hear the Labour Party falsely claiming that we plan to introduce charges," Dr Casar said.

"Everything ultimately comes at a cost, and that cost is being borne by taxpayers" he said.