Agreement will see health centres open for longer

Patrick Zammit

Feb 28th, 08:36

Health clinics used to open 24 hours a day since their introduction by the MLP government.

Some years ago, under J Dalli(?), they started to close at 17.00 hrs because Dalli had said that only those old people who couldn't sleep at night used to visit the clinics after 17.00 hrs.

Has the election softened GonziPN's heart?

Silvio Abela

Feb 28th, 06:30

Dr. Cassar,

There was a time not so long ago, where a person would go to any health centre and find a doctor there 24 hours. That's how the centres operated since inception! Wasn't your government sometime ago who said that primary healthcare was not working and set the health centres to open office hours only? Why the change of heart now?

Lawrence Fenech

Feb 28th, 04:42

How's that for a ratio, nothing in 5 years and something in the last 8 days! Another miracle before elections, a gift on a silver platter and a bunch of flowers at the entrance of the centers with compliments of the minister.

Jos Borg

Feb 28th, 00:16

Where was the Health Minister during the past 5 years?

And where was Gonzi's governments during the past two legislatures?

By closing down heath centres during the last decade, patients had to call at Mater Dei, causing congestion and long queues.

Government should have had more foresight. He was continuously told not to close the health centres, but government would not listen.

S.M. Cuschieri

Feb 27th, 21:42

Well done....

A Tonna

Feb 27th, 20:21

About time! Fi ftit gimghat qed jippruvaw jaghmlu dak li qatt m'ghamlu. Araw it-toroq bhal-issa. Issa sabu l-flus biex jigirfu t-toroq u jtughom laghaqa tarmak!

mark borg

Feb 27th, 19:42

...issa jergu jalquwhom ibzax jhekk alla hares qatt jergaw jitilghu il gonzipn .....bhall mhu se jerga jibda jghola il gass u petrol kull xhar bhall ma konnha dawn l-ahhar 5 snin.

joanne vassallo

Feb 27th, 18:36

Hafna nies igergru ghal health centres u juzawhom hafna. Igergru ghat tobba tal h.c u xorta jaraw hafna nies.

Vassallo.

anton portelli

Feb 27th, 18:26

meta kienu bidlu il hinijiet tal policlinics,qalu hafna nies immorru hemm ghax ma jorqdux bil-lejl!issa la nqajmin jistaw immorru fil kju!!!il poplu ma jinsiex!!!!

Mark Muscat

Feb 27th, 18:25

Too little too late? Harsu madwarkom u araw x'sehh f'daw l-ahhar 5 snin! Pajjiz bellezza, ibda minn roundabouts, parks, aquarium, toroq godda, servizz tas-sahha eccellenti....... U ssemmulix id-dejn tafux? Dak isir problema biss jekk ma tkunz tiflah thallsu, imma sakemm tibqa l-ekonomija li ghandna, assolutent mhuwiex problema

Ramon Mangion

Feb 27th, 18:21

Mela l-istess Gvern l-ewwel kisser is-sistema ta' kura primarja, tefa problema kbira fuq Mater Dei u issa nduna li ghamel zball. Meta ?? LEJLIET ELEZZJONI

michael calleja

Feb 27th, 18:19

Now its too late just to trying to get some votes before the election .Do you think that the Maltese people are all fools.

Ray Buhagiar

Feb 27th, 18:11

These discussions have been ongoing since the last 3 years. At one point the Govt issued a white paper on the Family doctor scheme...remember? It was shot down by private GPs and MAM. This is the union strategy. Drag your feet until the right opportunity crops up. And election is always the right opportunity for Government employees.

Dora Smith

Feb 27th, 17:54

Now you come selling us flowers ???? too late in the day Mr Minister!

m. borg (slm)

Feb 27th, 17:50

Gonzipn is like that man who hits you in the face then takes you to the doctor.

Too late Dr gonzi.

Anthony Attard

Feb 27th, 17:49

Veru li il-pagi ser ikunu ta 60000jekk jahdmu fil privat wkoll u 70000 jekk ma jahdmux fil- privat. Jekk dan huwa minnu ser jigri mill specialisti, nurses ecc ecc.Dawn mhux parti mi s-sistema?

Emanuel Farrugia

Feb 27th, 17:32

L-elezzjoni generali tinsab wara 'l bieb. Importanti issa li l-Ministru jilhaq agreement mhux hekk, ghax verament ihobb lil poplu malti.

Emanuel Farrugia - TARXIEN

Eddy Privitera

Feb 27th, 17:28

Ghax jafu li Dr. Muscat se jkun il-prim ministru, u jafu li jettaq dak li jwieghed, allura jridu jidhru li taparsi fethuhom huma flok il-PL, minkejja li huma jkunu fuq il-bankijiet tal-elezzjoni !

julian briffa

Feb 27th, 17:07

Tidhak jew tibki ma dan il gvern.Lima wahda ha nemnu li maj jkolomx ajamlu in-nis jew issa ha jzid il hin bix in-nis joqodu jmorru il polikliniks bix joqodu jparlaw....Ara vera in nazzjonaliista ma baqalhomx fejn jaslu aktar...Haluwna plase toqodx titmejlu aktar bina ek jonqos issa ukoll,haluwna u warrbu minn em ax qazziztu lil kullhadd issa.....Ma andux alfejnjihu alih Gonzi ax qallulu XHAME ON U

anthony brincat

Feb 27th, 16:51

ministru kien qal li min ma jistax joghrqod bil lejl imur il clinic issa sejjer jiftahom biex kif mankunux nistaw norqdu immorru il glinic

rita Farrugia

Feb 27th, 16:48

@ Eddy Privitera In-nies tal-Korpi gew ingaggati mal-gvern fis-70s. It-tmien t'elef (8000) haddiem dahlu mal-gvern ftit xhur qabel l-elezzjoni tal- 1987 minn gvern laburista.

Joe Grech

Feb 27th, 16:27

WHY so late in the day?
Why was this agreement not signed years ago?
People have been suffering in the meantime but our so called health administrators seem to have been fast asleep.
Now that there's an election, they've woken up!
Who can take GonziPN seriously after this?

GL Calleja

Feb 27th, 16:17

To some extent we all know that is part of politics for the coming elections. But I still want to ask either leader of the PN and PL. What do they plan to do to stop the shame that is putting Malta in the negative spotlight? How do these two leaders plan to stop the corruption and injustice that looms our court system? What about lowering the deficit? Stop treating citizens as imbeciles? Honesty.

Alfred Zammit

Feb 27th, 16:14

Dan l,agreement kien illu jigi discus.il Mam ,sewwa ghamlu, geddu u kaxkru sakhem intlahaq ftejiem ragonevoli!

Joseph Fenech

Feb 27th, 15:42

L-ewwel taghlaq u issa tiftah il-centri tas-sahha, ma' jiswa xejn.Dawn kollha teatrini.Ahjar qabad u bena nofshom mill gdid,dak li missu sar u kien hemm zmien bizzejjed.Issa tard wisq!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John Mifsud

Feb 27th, 15:14

How I wish that a general election is held on a yearly basis!!!!

twanny borg

Feb 27th, 15:13

Haga tajba imma xorta hawn min igerger. Maltese gemgem imsomma basta kontra l-gvern. Jaghmel x'jaghmel.

Josephine Bonnici

Feb 27th, 15:10

Good morning Mr Minister . Today is 27th February 2013. It is just over a week from election date. Were you dozing these past five years. Sorry for having interrupted your slumber. You can go back to sleep. Happy dreams.

oliver pulis

Feb 27th, 15:01

great, first the govt closes certain clinics and reduce hours for other clinics for 5 whole years, now a week away from election, the same govt boasting of health centres opening for longer hours. should i laugh or should i cry?

peter camilleri

Feb 27th, 15:00

Strategija GonziPn.......the end justifies the means !!!

Alexander Genuis

Feb 27th, 14:52

Ghalfejn zidtu l-hin tal-ftuh tal-poloklinici,biex aktar Nies li ma JKOLLHOMX x'Jghamlu Jmorru AKTAR issa,ghax hemm aktar Hin??????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Ahna ok jew????MELA GHALA ISSA???....................................!

Joe Pace Asciak

Feb 27th, 14:38

“Dr Cassar explained that the previous agreement stemmed the brain drain of doctors leaving Malta, with more doctors now opting to work and study in Malta”. Gvern Nazzjonalista jaghti rizultati tajba, bil-fatti, u mhux bil-paroli fiergha u bil-pozi.

Keith Davis

Feb 27th, 14:25

Are there any other last minute binding agreements to be done by the caretaker government?

j brincat

Feb 27th, 14:15

Miracles DO happen in Malta BUT only on the eve of an election!

On another eve doctors got the green light to do away with VAT receipts to become sui generis!

Why does this enevitably reminds me of Orwell's Animal Farm!


jb

Louis Craus

Feb 27th, 14:14

J'Alla Jkollna Elezzjoni kull sena,ghax daqs kemm rajna ftehim jigi ffirmat,u kxif ta' rham f'dawn l- ahhar gimghat,ma rajna qatt f'dawn l- ahhar hames snin

Lawrence Fenech

Feb 27th, 14:09

Gonz it-qansieh ghal haga wahada biss tajjeb.

John L Galea

Feb 27th, 14:07

Another proposal copied from the PL manifesto. Now that elections are drawing closer miracles are happening.

g agius

Feb 27th, 14:05

For the Election Period !!!!!

Glenn Camilleri

Feb 27th, 13:44

Hmm... and you think with this move the people are going to forget how they suffered in the last months in the emergency department? It's tooooooo lateeeeee now Gonzino...

Joseph Borg

Feb 27th, 13:41

As they say "Seeing is Believing!". It's useless having health centers opened till 8pm when no doctors are available. The Mosta health centre's X-Ray clinic was open till 6:30pm on a daily basis. However, you can't avail of their service unless an on-site doctor gives the go-ahead. After waiting for 2 hours for a doctor to show up, I ended up at Materi Dei because the clinic closed.

James Grech

Feb 27th, 13:35

I'd like to hear what the MUMN and other interested unions, have to say about such an agreement. Shouldn't all the parties involved in primary health care, be made participants in the drafting of a reform on primary health care? I fear this is merely a hasty agreement, done a little too late, just so that the PN has something to contrast with what the PL have long been arguing for.

Philip Borg

Feb 27th, 13:35

About time

Massimo Gatt

Feb 27th, 13:35

A Gimmick by the PN strategic team.

Mr J Xerri

Feb 27th, 13:34

Pity we did not have the election some months or possibly years ago... we would surely would have a number of services already in place by now.

G. Vassallo

Feb 27th, 13:33

L'Ewwel ghalquhom issa kumbinazzjoni ghax gejja l'elezzjoni ser jergu jigu utilizzati. Shame on You.

J Chircop

Feb 27th, 13:30

Dear Dr Cassar

To do this homework we need access to the tests such as ultrasounds, CT scans, urgent blood test work up, 24hr ECG, 24 hr online x-ray, electronic medical records, bone density, removal or adaptation of useless prescription clinic... And much more! Not opening and extra 3 hours a day in 5 health centers

Regards,
Dr Jan Chircop
Health Center Doctor

Kenneth Williams

Feb 27th, 13:28

Shame on you!!! SHAME ON YOU!!! Wara li kissirtu l marid jiustenna ghal sieghat jekk mhux granet fl emergenza ta MDH...Tibzax tasal taghkom ukoll

Eve Axiaq

Feb 27th, 13:25

X'paniku! Kemm huma ddisprati! Imbaghad naraw wara minfejn se jigu l-flus ghal zieda fis-salarji. Responsabilita fl-aqwa taghha!!

C. Sammut

Feb 27th, 13:18

Has the increase in salary been budgeted for?

Frans Aguis

Feb 27th, 13:17

You have to love elections.Inaugurations and agreements everyday :) Everything is possible before an election

peter camilleri

Feb 27th, 13:13

Too little too late !!!