Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544773
10 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 6 MAY 2026 OPINION Keeping people well, not just treating them when they're sick Ray Gatt Orthopaedic surgeon and PN general election candidate on the 3 and 10 districts Something is rotten in the state of Malta Mariana Debono Philosophy PhD candidate, poet and writer WITH the launch of its national health policy manifesto, the Na- tionalist Party has unveiled a wid- er strategic vision for the future of Malta's healthcare system. It is a vision that seeks not only to strengthen hospitals and reduce system pressure, but to funda- mentally reshape how the country approaches health itself. At the centre of this vision is the announcement of the Malta Na- tional Health Park at Selmun and Fort Campbell, a flagship national project focused on prevention, re- covery and healthier living. This proposal comes at a critical time for Malta's health system. As Opposition leader Alex Borg explained, Malta is facing growing long-term health pressures, with nearly 70% of adults overweight, one in five living with obesity and around one in 10 affected by di- abetes. Cardiovascular disease remains one of the country's lead- ing causes of death, while mental health challenges are affecting approximately one in four people. At the same time, hospitals are facing mounting operational pres- sure, with overcrowded wards, rising chronic disease burden and rehabilitation bottlenecks placing increasing strain on acute health- care capacity. The PN's new health strategy recognises that Malta's long-term healthcare sustainability cannot depend solely on treating illness after it has already escalated. Pre- vention, early intervention and structured recovery must become central pillars of national health- care reform. As Borg has consistently empha- sised, Malta must build a health system that protects quality of life earlier, strengthens resilience and creates stronger pathways be- tween prevention, treatment and recovery. The Malta National Health Park is designed to serve precisely that purpose. Under the proposal, Selmun and Fort Campbell would be trans- formed into Malta's first major national prevention infrastruc- ture project, creating an integrat- ed public space where physical health, mental wellbeing, rehabili- tation, lifestyle medicine and early intervention are brought together within one coordinated system. The project will also directly support healthcare capacity by providing dedicated rehabilita- tion and step-down pathways, help reduce pressure on acute hospital beds while supporting more complete recovery for pa- tients beyond immediate hospital treatment. Located within one of Malta's most distinctive natural and his- toric environments, the health park seeks to create a national setting where individuals can strengthen health earlier, recover more fully and reduce long-term preventable disease. This includes structured sup- port for physical activity, mental health resilience, healthier living, rehabilitation services and wid- er public education, all designed to improve long-term outcomes while easing avoidable pressure on Malta's healthcare system. The policy reflects a broader understanding that Malta's fu- ture health challenges will not be solved through hospital expan- sion alone. A sustainable health system must also invest seriously in prevention, resilience and qual- ity of life, helping people remain healthier for longer while reduc- ing the long-term burden of pre- ventable disease. Within this wider framework, the Malta National Health Park stands not simply as an infra- structure project, but as a new national health model. By placing prevention, recov- ery and rehabilitation alongside hospital reform and community healthcare, the PN's health man- ifesto presents a more balanced and future-facing vision for Mal- ta, one that aims not only to treat illness, but to reduce its impact before crisis occurs "SOMETHING is rotten in the State of Denmark." So wrote William Shakespeare and rarely has the line felt more fitting to Malta. Because something rotten has been exposed. A foreign pro-choice organisa- tion entered Malta and began of- fering abortion pills through a sys- tem where individuals can request access and receive them within a short timeframe. All of this, in a country where abortion is illegal. And yet, no urgency. No political outcry. No visible enforcement. Just a lingering, deafening silence. Where is the police commission- er? And what do our members of parliament have to say? Because this is not abstract. This is not theoretical. This is not a university debate or a panel dis- cussion. This is the open facilita- tion of something that Maltese law clearly prohibits. If the law matters, it should mat- ter here. If it doesn't, then let's stop pretending. Because a law that is not enforced is not a law. It is theatre. And right now, it feels to me we are watching a perfor- mance. Investigative reporting has now revealed that a woman, tested the system. Do you think that when she called this pro-abortion group anyone stopped to offer her sup- port? No effort was made to support her and encourage her to keep the baby. No attempt to explore alter- natives was made. No indication that assistance—real help—might exist beyond ending the pregnan- cy. And this is also the most shock- ing part of all. Because when a woman reaches out, possibly afraid, possibly over- whelmed, our response should not be to present abortion as an option. It should be to support her. To ask what she needs. To stand with her. To ensure she is not alone. Abortion should never be con- sidered a solution. Because a soci- ety that truly cares does not offer the possibility of ending a life as a solution. It protects it and sup- ports the woman who carries it. And in all this, you may often hear the misleading assumption that, when monitored, abortion pills are simple, safe, and without consequence. Or the equally misleading phrase "just a clump of cells" repeated with remarkable confidence. But modern embryology does not speak that language. From fertilisation, a new, genet- ically distinct human organism exists. Even within the scientif- ic community, this point is not at all especially controversial. A survey conducted by Steven An- drew Jacobs found overwhelm- ing agreement (96% of biologists agreed) that a human organism begins at fertilisation. And this matters! Because if what exists is already a human life, then the question is no longer about stages, convenience, or timing. It is about whether that life can be intentionally ended. So again, the question remains. Where is the police commission- er? And what do our members of parliament have to say? Because silence, in moments like this, is not neutral. It is a decision. And yes, the safes have now been confirmed to be real. And rather than alarm, some reactions have expressed relief that access is in- deed available. That, in itself, is deeply telling, and deeply, deeply sad. So, the question is no longer whether something is rotten, but how long before we become rot- ten too.