Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/457075
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 FEBRUARY 2015 4 MATTHEW AGIUS SIXTY nine new bed spaces will be available at Mater Dei hospital by the end of this year, and the number will increase by a further 100 by 2017, ac- cording to Health Parliamentary Sec- retary Chris Fearne (pictured, right). The declaration was made during Saviour Balzan's weekly discussion forum Reporter, which this week tackled several issues surrounding public healthcare and featured Clau- dette Buttigieg, shadow minister for health across the table from Fearne. Buttigieg criticised the government for not delivering on their electoral promises. "In their electoral pro- gramme they promised a solution and had clearly stated that they were implementing a plan. Two years down the line where is this plan, and what have they implemented?" Fearne countered saying that one also had to note the starting point for this government. "We should have 385 hospital beds per 100,000 citizens. At St Luke's Hospital we had 299. With the opening of Mater Dei, this went down to 257. In fact, in 2012 there were 500 beds fewer than required. "We are now at a point where St Luke's Hospital is being refurbished and by May, the oncology depart- ment will have moved out of Boffa hospital. We are currently identify- ing the best way to use the bed spaces these developments will free up. "This [overcrowding] is not a prob- lem of our making, but it is one which we will solve," said Fearne. He referred to plans for the con- struction of two extra wards above the emergency department, made by previous PN health minister Joe Cas- sar, which were shelved when it was found that the structure could not support the weight due to the quality of the concrete used. "We have found a different site and works are underway," said the health secretary, announcing that by the end of this year 69 new bed spaces would be available in a new ward currently being constructed. This will go up by another 100 in 2017 once two planned storeys are added on top of this new structure. "We will have increased bed spaces in Mater Dei by a third in two years, bearing in mind that this hospital took 17 years to build." Surely the fact that the Labour administration had a trump card in pointing to the 17 years it took the Nationalists to get Mater Dei oper- ating put Buttigieg at a disadvantage when discussing this issue, Balzan pointed out. Buttigieg said that her main concern at the moment was the dignity of the hospital's patients. Reading from a copy of Labour's electoral "roadmap", she took issue with the promise that a solution was to be "implemented im- mediately". Fearne identified three points of progress: out of stock medicines, waiting lists and bed spaces. In ad- dition to the bed space solution, a new stock management system had solved the medicines problem, said Fearne. He said that there was a long way to go with respect to the waiting list issue, but pointed out that great progress had been made, giving the example of the slashing of the wait- ing time for an MRI from 18 months to just four. Fearne was confident about the road ahead for healthcare. "For the first time in many years it is achiev- ing positive results. The problems are getting smaller, not bigger." News GOVERNMENT OF MALTA CALL FOR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Design, Construction and Operation of a Fish Processing Plant at the Fish Market in Marsa The Privatisation Unit ('PU'), acting on behalf of the Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights, is issuing a public Request for Proposals (RFP) in connection with the concession for the Design, Construction and Operation of a Fish Processing Plant at the Fish Market buildings in Marsa. The PU is inviting submissions for the RFP from reputable persons and/or entities with the necessary experience and resources to undertake such task. In the first instance, interested parties are invited to communicate with the PU, at the email address shown below, expressing their interest to undertake the task. Once this initial communication takes place, the PU will forward a process letter inviting interested parties to collect the RFP document. The process letter will explain the procedure to be followed for the collection and submission of the RFP document. Opening date for collection of RFP: 26 th January 2015 (12.00hours CET). Closing date for collecting the RFP: 16 th February 2015 (12.00hours CET). Closing date for the submission of the RFP: 23 rd February 2015 (12.00hours CET). The Chairman Privatisation Unit Ministry for the Economy, Investment and Small Business 4, Clock Tower, Level 1 Tigne Point Sliema TP01 Tel: (+356) 22209573 Email: privatisation.meib@gov.mt Website: privatisation.gov.mt Reporter, hosted by Saviour Balzan, airs every Monday at 20:40 on TVM2, with a repeat at 21:55 on TVM. Junior health minister promises 170 new hospital beds by 2017