A government proposal to build a new mental health hospital is too scant on detail for the Nationalist Party to comment on, according to Claudio Grech.
Mr Grech, the PN’s health spokesman, said the idea for a 100-bed hospital opposite Mater Dei seemed to be an “off the cuff” one floated by the Health Minister.
“It was not in the Labour Party’s manifesto, no details were given, no budget allocated, so I cannot express an informed opinion,” Mr Grech said yesterday.
However, he was not dismissive of the idea, insisting that he could not be negative on the project if a new hospital helped to improve the quality of life for patients.
I do not think that what happened was in the best interest of patients
Mr Grech said the PN preferred the approach whereby mental health patients were integrated into the community.
Speaking about the health Bill in front of Parliament, Mr Grech said the PN would vote for the new law and propose changes during the committee stage.
He reiterated a proposal for the setting up of a parliamentary standing committee on health where related issues could be discussed. The committee could help bring about political consensus on a sensitive sector like health, he added.
He insisted it took courage for an Opposition to propose such a move because politically it could be more convenient to take a step back.
“But this will create a forum to discuss different perspectives and solutions to the problems and challenges that face the health sector.”
Mr Grech said one of the first issues the PN wanted to raise in the committee was the mental health sector where the Government changed people in key positions.
“We do not believe it is possible to perform a total management wipe-out like what happened last week... and I do not think that what happened was in the best interest of patients, irrespective of who the new people occupying the posts are,” he said.
Mr Grech said that achieving consensus on a number of issues did not mean the political parties would become one and the same.
There would still be differences but on most areas consensus could be achieved, he said.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com