Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1531651
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 22 JANUARY 2025 2 KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt THE Nationalist Party said that govern- ment has given up trying to solve the crisis in the health sector. In a statement on Tuesday, the PN said that "instead of focusing on trying to solve problems created by his government, the health minister prefers to launch baseless attacks on the Partit Nazzjonalista, which is trying to provide solutions." The opposition also flagged the "attacks" on the Medical Association of Malta. The union is currently in a trade dispute with the government over an outsourcing agreement that allows non-serious emer- gency patients at Mater Dei Hospital to be sent to private hospitals for treatment. The union has instructed doctors not to refer patients under this agreement, saying the government failed to consult them before signing it. The PN took issue with the fact that minister Jo Etienne Abela compared the local health sector situation with that of London, which is under similar pressures. The opposition urged government to "stop wasting time on personal attacks and instead sit down with all stakeholders to find a way forward together." The PN expressed its willingness assist government, concluding, "It is now up to the government to set aside its arrogance and listen to those with the solutions." The statement was signed by PN health spokesperson, Adrian Delia. Health Minister defends outsourcing of emergency care, insists doctors' union was consulted 'Government has given up trying to solve health crisis,' PN says The Nationalist Party said that 'instead of focusing on trying to solve problems created by his government, the health minister prefers to launch baseless attacks on the Partit Nazzjonalista, which is trying to provide solutions' Health Minister defends emergency care outsourcing agreement, rejects doctors' union's claim it was not consulted and says government taking proactive steps to ease pressure on Mater Dei Hospital JO Etienne Abela has rejected claims by the doctors' union that government did not inform it of plans to outsource emergency ser- vices to private hospitals. In parliament on Monday, the Health Minister listed several in- stances of consultation, including speaking with the Medical Asso- ciation of Malta on 27 February 2024, a presentation given to the union in May and the eventual publication of the tender in July. Abela denied the government did not want to be transparent, comparing MAM's criticism to that of "an opposition newspaper". MAM is currently locked in dis- pute with the government over an outsourcing agreement that had to kick in last week. The union has di- rected its members not to author- ise the transfer of patients seeking non-serious emergency care at Mater Dei Hospital to private hos- pitals. It plans to escalate industrial action from tomorrow but has not yet outlined what form this action will take. The union is insisting the gov- ernment did not consult it, as per agreement, on the public-private partnership. The dispute also took a personal twist when the minister attributed the union's actions to MAM Pres- ident Martin Balzan's personal grievance for not having been pro- moted. Speaking in parliament, Abela acknowledged ongoing concerns about waiting times in Mater Dei's emergency department. He shared a complaint he had received from a father whose daughter had to wait for more than 15 hours to be seen by a medical professional. How- ever, he added long waiting times are not unique to Malta, referring to similar challenges faced by the UK's National Health Service. He said the emergency outsourc- ing agreement would see patients being treated in three private medical facilities for non-serious emergency care thus easing the pressure on the only acute general public hospital. A change in policy at the emergency department will also see senior medical staff being the first point of contact for pa- tients so that a treatment path can be identified at the earliest. The government has plans to ex- pand the emergency department at Mater Dei but this will take years to complete. Meanwhile, the outsourcing arrangement will ease the pressure on the public hospital. Abela noted that significant pro- gress in reducing long-term care patient backlogs at Mater Dei had been achieved. This helped free up more bed space for emergency and acute cases. "Normally, we had 150 to 200 patients waiting for this type of care. Now, in winter, this number has become insignificant," he said. "We have decreased the number from around 100 to less than 20." He attributed this improvement to arrangements made with care homes, including St Vincent de Paul. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela