[WATCH] ‘Government has no road map for health system’ – PN

Shadow health minister says leaked data shows that the government never really had a roadmap in the health sector • Video by Ray Attard

Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg today criticised parliamentary secretary Chris Fearne for refusing to publish parts of the Hospital Activity Report for the period between January and June 2015.

Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Buttigieg noted that previous PN administrations published parts of the report, Fearne was hiding behind the excuse of commercially sensitive information.

Citing leaked details form the report on the increasing pressure in terms of patients, Buttigieg said “the report confirms that government has no road map.”

Buttigieg insisted that the real reason behind the increase in patients at the hospital, was not due to elective surgeries as the government had claimed.

“The percentage of patients undergoing elective surgery stands at a mere 16%,” Buttigieg said.

She said that the Accident and Emergency department had experienced a 7% increase of patients, but that some 23,024 patients who went to the hospital could have very easily made use of health centres.

“Some 53% of appointments scheduled by Outpatients did not even show up for their second appointments,” she pointed out, adding that this naturally raised questions about whether they had given up on the public health system.

The general elections candidate Mario Rizzo Naudi, also present at the press conference, expressed his concerns about the proposed privatisation of Gozo’s health system.

“The fact the government is resorting to privatisation of the health system proves that there never really was a roadmap,” Rizzo Naudi added.