The government has set up a new company, Medical Plus, that will enter into an agreement with orthopaedic specialists.

The nurses’ union has shot down the Budget health measures, saying the arrangement to have a firm help cut hospital waiting times will not result in extra operations because they can only be squeezed in on Sundays.

“We’re chock-a-block. There is not enough staff both in the theatres and in wards.

“Sunday is the only available slot,” MUMN president, Paul Pace, said when contacted.

On Monday, Finance Minister Edward Scicluna announced the government had set up a new company, Medical Plus, that would enter into an agreement with orthopaedic specialists.

These would commit to hold more operations during their normal working day and in their spare time, including weekends.

Mr Pace was highly critical that the Budget failed to set up a facility of family health nurses.

“We need a holistic approach. We have very few nurses operating in the community. Abroad, thanks to such nurses, illnesses such as chronic respiratory diseases are detected early. In Malta’s case, we only realise when patients end up in emergency,” he said.

The Budget failed to concretely address bed shortages, he added.

To address the shortage of beds for the elderly sector and at Mater Dei Hospital, the healthcare sector required an efficient team of nurses who visited old people in their home, not just to provide a service but to supervise and prevent readmissions to Mater Dei.

“We wanted to see a radical change. What we saw were cosmetic changes that result in a waste of money and will not address the main crux of the problem.”

Medical Association of Malta president Gordon Caruana Dingli also expressed surprise at the new arrangement and said the MAM had not been consulted over Medical Plus or the privatisation of the Cospicua health centre.

We wanted to see a radical change. What we saw were cosmetic changes

“This was news to us. I have asked for a meeting with the minister to have the details explained since we know nothing about it. The same applies to privatising the Cospicua health centre.”

He also expressed disappointment that the Budget did not really bestow much importance on the environment.

“The preservation of the environment was hardly mentioned. This Budget seemed more pro-development than pro-environment.

“The health of a nation does not improve through further development. We also need more investment in human resources in healthcare sectors. But I do not know how much money was allocated this time.”

Dr Caruana Dingli welcomed the measure of increasing road licences of polluting vehicles.

“However, the push to reduce pollutants will be taken more seriously when the government submits its own vehicles to VRT and not just use the measure as a means of collecting more tax.”

Saint James Hospital group chairman Josie Muscat was disappointed with the lack of public-private partnerships in the sector.

“We entered into a number of PPPs with the previous administration, such as with endoscopy and cataracts procedures. This time round, we only have a PPP to provide MRI scans and beds for the elderly as a one-time measure.

“We believe that, together, we can explore better ways of servicing the public.”

The arrangement of Medical Plus with the orthopaedic surgeons would negatively impact private hospitals, he continued.

“It affects us because surgeons and suppliers charge the government much less than they do us.

“From what we hear, orthopaedic surgeons charge the government between €600 and €800 per knee procedure. We are charged €1,700.”