John Cassar White’s contribution about the current delivery-side deficiences of our national health service (The Times Business, February 23) wouldn’t have made pleasant reading by Cabinet ministers (let alone more needy citizens) but is, unfortunately, nonetheless, insightful and to the point.

Some predicted this state of affairs even before the massive national debt contributor Mater Dei Hospital was opened. However, I would have expected an economist of the calibre of Mr Cassar White to come up with more hard facts before he concluded his piece by stating that our public health system should be free for all at the point of delivery.

What I mean is that I would have expected him to deviate a little from the “sacred-cow” British NHS model (to which all our political parties are wedded for votes) and provide us with some indication of which EU countries have a totally “free for all at point of delivery” public health provision, which countries have a means-tested type system and, equally important, which countries have, or haven’t got, hospital treatment waiting lists.

That information would have made interesting eye-opening reading.