As I write, a Maltese lady in the prime of life with two dependent children is seeking ways and means to finance indispensable cure for her life threatening illness. The cost of the treatment, not dispensed freely by the Health Department, is prohibitive.

The Community Chest Fund, through the direct and prompt intervention of the President. will finance a substantial portion of the cost. Understandably, the fund is not about one takes all. It is about sharing sensibly and fairly the contributions made through the generosity of the public among those in dire need. In this case, the shortfall is still beyond the earnings and means of the family. I think it is tragic that certain cures are still not offered by the State on the basis of their cost or because they are not yet on the list of approved medicines.

It is ironic that governments find the money, in the millions of euros and collected through taxes, to make good for their own mistakes and shortcomings, as in the case of Mater Dei Hospital, and likewise find the money to buy properties in Valletta at exorbitant prices, making the rich richer again through obligatory taxation.

A fundamental requisite of good governance, as in good management, is prioritising. I therefore ask any politician to declare what takes priority over the saving of a human life.