The shadow minister for health, Claudette Buttigieg, this evening called for clarity by the government about its plans for the health sector.
She said the government’s announcement of plans for Gozo and St Luke’s Hospital last Wednesday had been followed by a number of other news stories which had raised more questions than were answered.
In one such story, Energy and Health Minister Konrad Mizzi said he did not rule out a public-private partnership to tackle Mater Dei management.
He had also said that in Gozo, 125 beds would be available for the locals and 125 as a private hospital. So where was the gain for the Maltese and Gozitans?
At St Luke’s, it had been said that there would be 80 rehabilitation beds – taking over from Karin Grech Hospital.
Karin Grech would be a rehabilitation hospital and the remaining beds in St Luke’s would be all private.
If Mater Dei was lacking beds, why would St Luke’s not have more acute beds for the Maltese?
Ms Buttigieg said there was uncertainty among Health Ministry officials and the staff not least because the projects mentioned so far would, conservatively, require 200 doctors, 500 nurses and several hundred other staff in allied medical professions.
The government had manipulated the information given so far, giving the impression that investment was certain when what had actually been signed so far was for the opening of a Bart’s medical school in Gozo.
It would appear, she said, that Gozo would not have 300 students at one go, despite the impression that was given, but 60, or two classes. Where would these student-doctors train, in the 125-bed acute hospital in Gozo, at St Luke’s or with the existing Medical School students in Mater Dei?
She shared the concerns of the medical students that there would be no problem as long as there was no invasion of new students in Mater Dei in a way which hindered the existing Medical School.
Ms Buttigieg asked if the new Gozo hospital would be built on the existing site. What were the plans for St Luke’s exactly?
How had the government come to the conclusion that the investment would be of €200 million?
The PN, she said, was not against private investment in health, but the government needed to be honest. To date it had been anything but clear.