Private healthcare providers will be able to share their ideas and frustrations with the Government through a new contact desk at the Health Ministry.
This is also about how healthcare should develop as a private-public health mix
The ultimate aim for setting up this channel of communication is opening up the ministry to new ideas and opportunities in order to build a sustainable health system at a national level, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia announced yesterday.
“This is a high-level communications’ desk… The aim is to advise, collect information, facilitate, and support… The ultimate aim is to sustain social and economic development from the health aspect. This is not only about the financial aspect but also about how healthcare should develop as a private-public health mix,” he said.
This mix, he stressed, was different from a public-private partnership. The mix ensured that Maltese citizens had a choice between opting for public or private healthcare.
The desk will be up and running from June 1 and can also be reached by e-mailing partners.health@gov.mt. Dr Farrugia said that this service, which he referred to as a business-friendly contact desk, will be a contact point that will reach out and facilitate dialogue with all private sector health service providers – ranging from self-employed health operators to private clinics and hospitals.
The objectives will include promoting health tourism, reducing bureaucracy, seeking innovative forms of health service delivery and attracting international healthcare providers.
“We also want to look beyond our shores,” Dr Farrugia said.
Dr Farrugia also said that, in the future, he will be announcing other similar initiatives such as improved customer care facilities for the public.
He also planned to hold meetings with the media, every two months, to brief them on particular health-related topics to ensure that the public was kept informed.
“The public has a right to be kept informed… This can help them be proactive when looking after their health,” he said.
He went on to add that healthcare was a “triad between patient, healthcare provider and policy maker”.
“If we are to reach our targets we also have to work closely with the unions, NGOs and business community,” he said.