Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/313770
21 The electoral campaign for the European Union candidates has led to an unusual number of political proposals and initia- tives from the leading political parties. Earlier this week, the Nationalist Part y announced a parliamentary motion to al- low patients to access healthcare in private clinics and hospitals. During a meeting with private hospital operators at the PN headquarters, Op- position leader Simon Busuttil said the parliamentary motion will allow citizens to make use of the EU cross-border health care directive. However the aim of having the press con- ference with health care owners paraded in front of the press was to underline the fact that the uptake of patients in private clin- ics would alleviate the waiting list. The owners were visibly uncomfortable during the press conference. But what was more unsettling is that later that day, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat embraced Simon Busuttil 's proposal, stating that government had already included this pro- posal in their health strategy and political manifesto. This was indeed worrying. Instead of directing all energies to improve or reduce the waiting list in this heavily-funded pub- lic sector – most especially in those areas such as the screening of diseases – the government, together with the Opposition, have abdicated their obligation to use tax- payers' money effectively and efficiently. It is also scandalous to believe that the investment in resources and human per- sonnel cannot be managed and improved to allow for a shorter waiting time. And for expediency sake, the government, sup- ported by the Opposition – or vice versa – believe that they should resort to the private sector. It is perhaps paramount that the gov- ernment seriously considers addressing waiting lists and screening procedures by investing time and energy in this depart- ment. This is surely not an insurmountable project. In the meantime, both Joseph Muscat and Simon Busuttil should refrain from promising that taxpayers' money should be siphoned to the private medi- cal sector to address a calamit y that is the result of bad management. An untenable position, time to resign For years now, this newspaper has voiced its dismay about the set up of the IĠM, the institute that represents journalists in Mal- ta. The concerns have been based on three basic misgivings, one which is underlined by the fact that most of the IĠM's commit- tee are not practising journalists burdened with conf licts of interest, and secondly be- cause the Institute is heavily funded by big business, and bridging to the media is in their interest. The third concern is the way the Journalists' Awards are organised year in year out, with the journalists nominat- ing themselves for the awards. The whole matter has come to a head when in the space of one week, two sepa- rate incidents underscore the unsuitabilit y of the President of the IĠM. Mr Malcolm Naudi, its current president, is not a journalist anymore – he runs a marketing company. This week, Naudi – in his capacit y as a marketing executive – called at the news- room of this newspaper to suggest that the name of a hotel be removed from a story detailing the death of a tourist at that same hotel (the suggestion was ignored). And in a separate incident, a photojour- nalist from The Times was assaulted at Mater Dei by securit y personnel from a same securit y company which is also rep- resented by Naudi 's marketing company. Given the circumstances, Naudi 's posi- tion as President of the IĠM is entirely untenable. More importantly, the IĠM deserves to be headed by a group of journalists – or a veteran journalist – who have no vested interests other than promoting the profes- sion and the development of true journal- ism, in the interests of democracy. maltatoday, SUNDAY, 18 MAY 2014 Editorial MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING DIRECTOR: ROGER DE GIORGIO MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 • Fax: (356) 21 385075 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: newsroom@mediatoday.com.mt Quote of the week "Ten years ago Malta and Sweden differed substantially on LGBTI issues and civil rights. Now we're on the same line of thought" – Swedish Minister for Integration Erik Ullenhag Throwing money at private health