Labour MPs say social services cuts to impact upon elderly

Labour MPs Anthony Zammit and Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca have denounced the budgetary cuts to the social services for the negative impact they will have upon the elderly.

Coleiro Preca said the current administration has no holistic plan for the elderly care and "the sector is treated too lightly and is in a state of crisis management."

The two MPs said the cuts include €42,000 from the energy-support programme, and €100,000 in cuts from the fund to reintegrate the elderly back to the community to promote independent living.

The cuts are part of the €1.4 million budgetary cuts from the family affairs sector after government had to revise its 2012 budget and cut €40 million in order to fulfil the criteria set by the European Commission.

Coleiro Preca said it was "hypocritical" that the elderly had only been recently warned by the health department to stay warm during the cold winter, only to see the new cuts slice through the energy-support programme.

Zammit also said recent hikes in gas prices were part of a domino effect that led to sickness because the elderly were finding it hard to pay their bills. "At the end of the day it creates burden on the government health services." Zammit said that it is ironic how government encourages elderly persons to live independently in the community but "the impact of the cost of medicines, utility bills and other basic needs means that many elderly persons do not have the means to do so."

He added that almost one-fourth of the Maltese population is aged over 60 and "considering the ageing population,  if the government does not tackle the problems in elderly care now, it will face greater problems in the future."

Coleiro Preca also claimed the government's pharmaceutical stock system was out of date, because auditing was not being done properly.

She also made reference to the Ombudsman report on the elderly published earlier this month. "The report makes it clear that the lack of government policies on elderly care is leading to an increase in demand for hospital beds and institutional care."

The Labour MP said that the admission process to enter state homes is not transparent and when asked what mechanism the PL is proposing to replace the current system, Coleiro Preca said that the party will not reveal their policies because they will be "used against the Opposition." When pressed, Coleiro Preca said that the Labour Party "agrees with the proposal forwarded by the Auditor General in a report on elderly home admissions in 2006, which have yet to be implemented."

The MP said some 1,000 persons were on the waiting list for the state homes for the elderly, claiming she knew of one case where the patients' house was set up as a guarantee against payments for private elderly home care.