The Opposition’s Healthy Living Bill is set to be enacted into law in the coming weeks, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said yesterday.

Speaking during a courtesy meeting with the Medical Association of Malta, Dr Busuttil said this was the first Bill of its type, focusing specifically on combating obesity.

The government, he said, was on board with the proposed law and so it was expected to be approved shortly.

The Private Member’s Bill, moved by Nationalist MP Robert Cutajar, is geared towards helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle through various initiatives.

Those with lower incomes and other social hindrances were more exposed to health complications

During the courtesy meeting Dr Busuttil said he was concerned by the lack of information on several major decisions in the healthcare sector.

He said the Gozo General Hospital, the only one on the sister isle, was set to be privatised. The public, however, had no idea how this would affect them.

There had been little information on the opening of the Bart’s Medical School either. Dr Busuttil said it was not clear how this would impact Maltese students who might be pitted against private students for time with patients.

MAM head Gordon Caruana Dingli said he too was concerned by these changes to the sector and the association was in talks with the government.

On the PN Bill, Dr Caruana Dingli said the MAM had recently held a conference which delved into the social determination of patients’ health. Those with lower incomes and other social hindrances were more exposed to health complications.