The current cataract operation waiting list is two years.

The waiting times for cataract operations will be reduced to four months from two years by 2016, Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said yesterday.

The list was going to be slashed through an optimal use of resources at Mater Dei Hospital, Mr Fearne said during a programme on One Radio.

At present there are 3,195 patients with a two-year wait.

This is expected to go down to one year by next year.

Cataract surgery is the removal of the eye’s natural lens that has become opaque, causing deterioration in the person’s vision, and replacing it with an implant.

Surgeons specialised in eye operations, more efficient working methods and investment in new equipment would all contribute towards reducing the waiting list, Mr Fearne said.

The government also had plans to strengthen the service of cataract operations and treatment in Gozo.

Slashing the lists to four months by 2016 formed part of the government’s electoral promise and would bring the island in line with the waiting times recommended by international standards.

He also mentioned the new point-of-care testing system that has been set up over the past days at Rabat Health Centre. Through this system, patients who regularly need anticoagulant Warfarin could have their blood tested there and immediately receive the results.

This innovative project aimed to improve people’s quality of life as the medicine’s dosage could be immediately adjusted accordingly, Mr Fearne said.

It is estimated that 1.3 per cent of the Maltese population need this medicine – around 4,000 of these take frequent anticoagulation testing.

In another initiative, patients will be able to receive the Schedule V card, known as karta s-safra, on the same day they were seen by their consultant, reducing the six-week waiting time.

The government was investing in health care centres to bring the service closer to the people, Mr Fearne said.