The MUMN nurses union said today it had been assured by Health Minister Konrad Mizzi that health centres would not be privatised except in the case of Cospicua where the centre would be run by a private company with its own staff.

The union was reacting to reports in a section of the media.  

"MUMN was surprised to read on a particular newspaper that in the Budget, Polyclinics are to become privatised. The MUMN immediately contacted Dr Konrad Mizzi who assured MUMN that the government has no intention of privatising the polyclinics. Moreover the principle of free health services will not change," the union said.

It said the minister had confirmed that the building of the new health centres in Paola and Kirkop would proceed as planned and these centres and would be run by the Department of Health with government employees.

A separate PPP project would be launched in Cospicua where the private sector would finance the refurbishment and also operate the health centre on behalf of the government, the MUMN said.

In this case government employees at the centre would be redeployed to other areas of the health service where there are staff shortages. The human resources deployed on this PPP would be new jobs created by the private operator. In this instance services provided would remain free.

The union said Dr Mizzi promised that not only would the health services remain free for the general public but no nurse or any other employee working in the health Centres would be seconded to any private entrepreneur.