The President of Malta has been turned into a beggar, being a person with a noble heart and an unmatched social conscience. She is devoting a greater part of her time to making huge efforts to collect much-needed cash for the Community Chest Fund to ensure it is in a position to assist all those asking for charity to help in some way or another their loved ones.

We must all realise there should be a clear distinction between what is considered to be ‘charity’ and what is an essential part of the healthcare system.

It is worthwhile spending a few moments to analyse and examine the reasons why this country finds itself in such a pitiful situation and who is to blame for it when our politicians feel so proud and boast that our health services are free for all to make use of or, as happens in many circumstances, abused.

Both sides of the political spectrum have invariably made a sacred promise in the past, so healthcare is free for all and those who dare say this is unaffordable will be committing political suicide.

I wonder how stupid could people be to be fooled into believing that this situation is affordable when all the experts that matter tell us otherwise. First and foremost, we must all understand that nothing is free in life and that all healthcare services are funded by the taxpayers themselves.

There should be a clear distinction between‘charity’ and what is an essential part of healthcare

We must understand we are fooling people by giving them medicine and, at the same time, depriving them of modern and up-to-date treatments. The list of available medicinal products has not been updated for many years. We occasionally discover a new addition but this is rare and very in between. Proof of this, if proof is required, are the many requests made to the President for assistance.

We are informed that the Community Chest Fund requires €250,000 a month to make ends meet. To read that free Hepatitis C medicine could cripple healthcare if included in the list of free medication is further proof that the present system is nothing but a farce.

The truth is that, under the present system, the country cannot afford to give people what is essential and required in terms of medication and treatment.

This is a very serious and troublesome situation, more so when we are seeing a fast increase in the ageing population, which, in turn, shall result in more complex and expensive healthcare services in the future.

Who is to blame for all this?

The fault falls fairly and squarely on the shoulders of the main political parties for having turned healthcare into a political tool and into an electoral playing ground that is used over and over again to prove how clever we can be in the run-up to a general election.

When a party is elected to govern it feels in duty bound to stick to its promises and electoral programme, disregarding everything else. The party in Opposition, having made similar promises, feels reluctant to give a helping hand to break the vicious circle.

May I ask politicians whether there exists in our little country one single statesman that can pluck up the courage, stand up and call a spade a spade by telling our people that where health services are concerned, we are living beyond our means and that the day of reckoning is round the corner.

We need to put our pride aside, join forces under the President’s umbrella and work together as a team for once to revamp our healthcare system.

While at it, may I ask why, for a start, all those availing themselves of the national health system should not be presented with a detailed account, making them aware of what such services cost the country. This is a very simple tool that will most certainly bring some very much needed sense into the way our people avail themselves of healthcare services.

I feel Parliament should set up a working group, made up of representatives of the political parties and the private sector, under the auspices of the President, to take stock of the situation and suggest a formula to resolve this predicament for the people’s benefit.

By taking courageous decisions, the country will be in a position to make available most essential and up-to-date medication, while what is needed for minor ailments can be acquired by the individual.

I am daydreaming, some would say, but if and when this happens it would be time to applaud the politicians for having put the healthcare system on track by making available life-saving drugs for free without one having to beg for them.

We can then all shout “God save our political parties” for having rendered the noblest service to the nation with total disregard to elections and votes and putting the well-being of the people first.

Reginald Fava is chairman of the Chemimart Group of Companies.