Health and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne gave details of the government's plans for the new Gozo hospital and the revamped St Luke's Hospital when they spoke in parliament this evening. They also disclosed that 125 beds in Gozo and another 250 in St Luke's will be available for medical tourism.

They gave their explanations after the shadow minister for health, Claudette Buttigieg, made a series of questions about the €200 million investment announced by the government.

Speaking in Parliament, Ms Buttigieg said private sector investment in health facilities was welcome, but was this just the opening of a branch of Bart’s medical school, or more?

How was the government announcing a €200 million investment when, at the same time, the prime minister had said a call for expressions of interest would be made? Was this a case where agreement had already been reached behind the people’s backs, but a deal was being announced now because of the local councils’ election campaign?

Did the Labour Party hold meetings with the prospective investors before, or after the last general election? When was the first meeting held?

Although the call for expressions of interest had not been issued, the prime minister’s speech was clear, he knew how much the investment would cost, and he appeared to know who the investors would be, Ms Buttigieg said.

The government appeared to be saying that this investment would heal the health sector’s ills, but after having been promising a road map for so long, was this the one?

The government, she said, needed to be clear with the people, the workers and the unions. Was the health service being privatised, starting from the Gozo hospital?

The workers, including doctors, nurses and health professionals needed to know if they would be able to work at Gozo hospital and St Luke’s. A proper explanation was due.

Furthermore, in order to bring about these projects, would the government need to engage foreign medical professionals?  

Would this privatisation be totally depended on the government and the Maltese, particularly in the context of health tourism? What did the government have in mind?

The comments were made while Parliament debated an Opposition motion providing that Maltese patients who are entitled and authorised to seek treatment abroad in terms of the Cross-Border directive may instead be given financial assistance to receive the same treatment in a private hospital in Malta. Health and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi early in the debate indicated government agreement, saying the proposal was also in the Labour electoral programme.

MIZZI, FEARNE LIST SOME SERVICES FROM REVAMPED ST LUKE'S - NEW GERIATRIC HOSPITAL AT KARIN GRECH

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said the building of a new block at Mater Dei Hospital would provide an additional 300 beds there, easing the bed shortage.

However, as announced this morning, the standard of other hospitals in Malta needed to be raised. Gozo General Hospital was inherited from the former government in a pitiable state. It had since been improved, but now a new hospital would be built in the new Barts campus, providing some 415 beds.

It had also been decided that St Luke’s would be given a new lease of life. While its shell would be retained, it would be completely revamped into a rehabilitation hospital that offer physio and hydrotherapy, occupational medical facilities, and a range of other services. It would also have a new dermatology centre, replacing the one provided at Boffa Hospital.

There would also be a new Nursing School.

Clearly, Mr Fearne said, Malta would need more doctors and nurses. Malta, he said, was suffering the consequences of a decision by the former government which had restricted the number of nursing students.

A new Geriatric Hospital would also be set up in what was currently Karin Grech Hospital. It would have 270 beds.

All this would come about thanks to a partnership with the private sector. However he could assure everyone that government workers would be retained with their same conditions, and medical care would be free of charge for patients as at present.

Services, he said, would be at least on a par with Mater Dei, and even better, not least as Barts, which would open a medical school in Gozo next year, was one of the best in the world.

While being free for Maltese patients, the new facilities would operate a new model which would pay for itself thanks to a public-private partnership after a call for expressions of interest. The facilities would also be open for medical tourism.  

Health Minister Konrad Mizzi said the call for expressions of interest was for services to supplement Barts and government services and he could say that there was strong interest, such as from insurance companies.  Some 1,200 new jobs would be created.

In Gozo, he said, some 250 hospital beds in the new hospital would be available for the government and 125 for Barts and there would be top notch equipment, labs, theatres and day care and outpatient facilities. 

St Luke's Rehabilitation Hospital would have 80 beds plus the other services already listed, as well as a private medical arm with 250 beds for medical tourism, along with the new nursing school .

Malta would also get a new Medical School.

Today, he said, was a milestone in the evolution of medical services which would raise standards, create jobs and boost the economy.

Dr Mizzi said the government was also working on a redesign of Mt Carmel Hospital. This, he said, would not be the cinderella of the health service.

Community services would also be improved, and talks on group practices were being held with GPs.

Replying, Ms Buttigieg said the government had continued to give the impression that it already knew who the investors were. This was the power station story all over again. That was why the government was speaking of an investment of €200m even before the call for expressions of interest was published.

She wished to believe all this story because it would be a leap forward for Malta, but she had serious doubts. Did the government have the €200m in hand already, or not? There was confusion in what the government was saying, not least about its plans for the Gozo Hospital. 

And what had become of the plans to refurbish Sir Paul Boffa Hospital?

BARTS 'IS THE BARCELONA FC OF HEALTHCARE'

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also spoke about the new agreement during campaigning for the local elections in Safi this evening.

He said Barts Medical School would lift Malta's healthcare system off its knees and make it world class, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this evening.

Dr Muscat described the UK school as "The Barcelona FC of healthcare", adding that it had produced five Nobel prize winners.
 
He said the healthcare sector had a number of problems when he took office, but the government had a plan to address these. The first thing the government had addressed was the problem out of stock medicines, which he said used to run into the hundreds of different prescriptions. In recent days, however, there were no state-funded medicines that were unavailable.
 

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150318/local/private-sector-to-run-new-gozo-hospital-and-revamped-st-lukes-pn-welcomes-deal.560438

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