Five consortia had answered the call for interest to build new graves at the Addolorata cemetery, Health Minister Chris Fearne said today.

The extension for 2,880 more graves was approved by the Planning Authority last February and the government is seeking a private partner for the €16 million project.

Speaking during the debate on the vote for his ministry’s budget, Mr Fearne noted that Malta was the only country in Europe which increased its health budget year-on-year. Other EU countries, he said, were cutting down.

This year's recurrent expenditure amounts to nearly €0.5 billion – an increase of €50 million over last year.

He also said the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland is making Malta a centre for examinations for surgeons from January.

Mr Fearne criticised the leader of the opposition on his stand on generic medicine, branding Simon Busuttil was a “leader of no position” because he changed his view overnight. Last year, generic medicines cost the government €60 million and if it were to substitute these to branded ones, the expenditure would shoot up to €100 million.

He said that the government had to accelerate the building of the Oncology Hospital because it risked losing €50 million in EU funds because of the former Nationalist government's procrastination.

Mr Fearne belied Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg's contention that four medicines were out of stock. During the last administration, he said, as much as 200 medicines were out of stock at any one time.

He said 85 per cent of people visiting the Emerceny Department were treated within four hours. Moreover, 20 new midwives would be engaged next Monday.

Waiting lists were drastically reduced and a new outpatients’ department was to be built.

The minister said that, as of next year, 40 oxygen cylinders would be home-delivered daily to those needing them.

While thanking the President for her sterling work with cancer patients through the Community Chest Fund Foundation, Mr Fearne said that €30 million were earmarked for medicines needed by cancer patients.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.