Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1176480
BUDGET 2020 maltatoday | TUESDAY • 15 OCTOBER 2019 12 MACROECONOMIC SCENARIO IN its 2020 budget, the government will continue to invest in Mater Dei Hospi- tal, and will be building a new outpatient building. Edward Scicluna said the new building will be giving patients a higher quality service, while offering a more positive and valuable experience to the patients making use of it. The government will also be investing in new apparatus related to robotic sur- gery, which is be-coming an essential in medical interventions such as in the on- cology sector. After Mater Dei Hospital was awarded recognition as an authorised centre with- in the European Reference Networks, Maltese patients will now be eligible to receive treatment within the medical centres across Europe, enrolled with the network. Scicluna said that the government re- mains committed to upgrading primary care in the coun-try, which according to him holds the potential to offer special- ised services at a more efficient manner, while remaining close to citizens and where they reside. The government has already started by investing in a regional centre at the South of Malta, and will now focus on building a new centre at the Northern region of the country. "Regional centres are not there to re- place centres of primary care, but are there to compliment them," Scicluna said. The investment in primary care centres will also see upgrading of most existing health centres. A new primary care centre will be built in Gozo. New medical equipment and new ser- vices are expected to be introduced at all care centres. Mental health Scicluna said that mental health will re- main a priority for the government, with him stating that the issue looks to be one of the biggest challenges in the coming years, as it looks to strengthen mental health treatment in the community. Works at Mount Carmel Hospital will continue and quicken in pace. Plans for a new hospital which will focus on psychiatric treatment was announced by the fi-nance minister. The government's investment in new medicines will remain constant and per- sistent. The in-vestment will include the procurement of medicines for heart and circulatory diseases, cancer, skin disor- ders and rare disease. Investment in cancer treatment will not only be limited to medicines, but will also see the in-troduction of services which will aid a number of patients who have successfully beaten cancer. A Clinical Risk Management Unit will which will ensure an improvement in the quality of ser-vices offered will be intro- duced. Research The government will continue to em- phasise on a strategy of prevention, while cultivating a cul-ture of education and commitment towards individual physical and psychological health. The national schedule of vaccina- tion against infectious disease will be strengthened. A National Poison Centre, which will offer services for people who have been exposed to a range of toxic chemicals will be launched. A new political strategy aimed at chron- ic disease, physical activity, antibiotic resistance and sexual health will also be launched. The strategy will see specialised re- search in these sectors, and also on other generic issues, which will fall under the European Health Interview Survey. Victims of rape will be benefitting from strengthened support services which look to be more holistic. Investment in robotic surgery for oncology THE government's priority in the education sector will remain that of reaching more chil-dren and young people, while increasing the likelihood of their success, ac- cording to the fi-nance minister. The government will continue to invest advanced technologies, as Malta was the first coun-try to implement blockchain technolo- gies in the education sector. Certificates issued by the Min- istry for Education and Employ- ment, MCAST, ITS, NCFH and the education institute were all made available using this secure and accessible technology. Next year the technology will be extended to more institutions, including the University of Malta. Following the introduction of the One Tablet per Child scheme between Year 4 and Year 6 in the past three years, the government will not be pro- ceeding to the second phase of the project. A pilot project in government middle schools will be launched. The pilot project aims to lead to a report of recommendations on the possibility of expand-ing the use of technology in schools as a tool which aids in teaching for students in middle schools. Investment in education This year's budget will see an in- vestment of more than seven mil- lion euro in infrastructure at the University of Malta and MCAST, which according to the minister will ensure the best facilities for today's necessities. An allocation of funds to the University will be granted, in an effort to incentivise more ac- ademics towards carrying out in- novative research. The government will be car- rying-on with its commitment towards upgrading government school building's infrastructure. According to the minister, maintenance works, and upgrad- ing of furniture will be carried out. Next year, a new primary school in Qawra will be built. Building of new blocks at the Zejtun school, a new hall at the Santa Lucija school and prepa- rations towards the construction of a new primary school at Msida and Rabat, Gozo will be carried out next year. Free Transport 26,000 students have started to make use of free transport ser- vices introduced last year, which according to the finance minister is saving families €700 on every child. Foreign language The required process of in- troducing an €8 million online spell-checker distributed across all operating systems for the Mal- tese language, will be initiated by the government. "This ini-tiative is being taken in order to have a better and more prolific use of the Maltese lan-guage," Scicluna said. In an effort to continue stimu- lating the use of the Maltese lan- guage, a competition in Mal-tese writing will be launched. The significance of Dun Karm's literature works and the use of the Maltese language will be giv- en more weight. €850 will be granted to young people who choose to learn a for- eign language in another country. Fitness and health A new guide on the recom- mended weight of school bags will be launched. A strategy to provide all state schools with water fountains will be launched. A new service, called Reach Out, aims to deal with youths who drop out of post-secondary courses. The service will look to help the young people with the challenges they might be facing, while help- ing them to find a job or to con- tinue studying. Youth work at the Imtahleb Correctional Facility, will help young people to realise their po- tential and therefore prepare them for their inclusion back into society. ITS In order to ensure that the ITS is a catalyst towards improving the country's touristic prod-uct, an outreach programme with hotels from around the world has been launched. In an affiliation agreement with the Emirates Academy of Hos- pitality Management, a mas-ter level qualification in hospitality, and a bachelor's degree in Diving will be offered. A state-of-the-art campus in Smart City will begin construc- tion next year, which will in- clude a hotel within the campus administered by students of the institute. The National Skills Council will be strengthened as the aim of having the industry and edu- cation working hand in hand is effectively reached. The creation of an Industry Education Hub, will ensure that a series of operative boards sat-isfy the requisites of quality. The conservation and upgrad- ing of the National Library will make the building more acces- sible to tourists and researchers. A process of digitizing books, documents and manuscripts within the National Library will be carried out. A investment which will see an interactive facility within the Na- tional Library which facili-tates more inclusion, while serving as a strong resource towards literacy. Culture A consultation process which analyses the use of Pjazza Tejatru Rjal will be conducted, in-cluding the possibility of carrying out works which would help to suit better the country's cultural cal- endar. The country's role will be strengthened through the use of bilateral relations in the cultural sector, according to Scicluna. A national political strategy on culture, which reflects the aspira- tions of excellency in the sector will be launched by the end of 2020. Incentives with UNESCO World Heritage in efforts to have more Maltese sites listed as world heritage sites will be renewed. The fund for cultural patrimony will be strengthened by the gov- ernment in the coming year, in efforts to have a bigger invest- ment in archaeology, exploration and research. Excavation at the Xrobb l-Gh- agin temples will be initiated. Works towards providing bet- ter access to underwater sites which hold a cultural patrimony will also be initiated through the launch of the Sea Cultural Unit. The Cottonera Lines, the Vic- toria Lines and Fort Ricasoli will undergo restoration works. Educational investment