In the press release published in The Times on September 30, the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses said that “Gozitan patients are lacking the same political commitment given to Libyan patients”.

While the MUMN is doing the right thing in putting pressure on the government to implement a chemotherapy department at the Gozo General Hospital to relieve the suffering being endured by these patients, one must keep in mind that in years gone by there was no CCU/ITU ward at the hospital. As a result, severely ill patients had to be transferred directly to the then St Luke’s Hospital.

There was no renal unit, which meant that patients had to cross over to Malta three times weekly for a four-hour intervention each time, not to mention the hazardous return journey by ambulance in sometimes very inclement weather.

Until quite recently, the hospital did not have a CT scanner nor a mammography machine. Now it has both in a refurbished X-ray department and work is also in hand on the refurbishing of the operating theatres.

I fully endorse the idea of having a chemotherapy department at the hospital in Gozo to alleviate the frustration these patients are suffering. I hope it will be delivered in due course like the other projects before it.