Health minister's wife working by his side on 'voluntary basis'

Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia had to give members of the press a profuse apology for asking them to leave a meeting he held with the General Workers Union, without delivering a statement during the courtesy meeting.

But the story of the day was that Farrugia's wife Marlene Farrugia - the Labour MP - has been appointed by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to assist her husband on a "voluntary basis".

"If the minister wants to send me on meetings in his name, I will attend. If he appoints me to other roles in the health sector, I will fulfill them also. I will do whatever the minister asks of me," Marlene Farrugia told the press today. "You will see me often," she said, pointing out that the health ministry is one of the biggest portfolios of the government and has the biggest national budget.

The news effectively means that the husband-wife tandem are both fulfiling the role of the minister.

"So you can understand that the health minister will need a lot of help. And whatever the minister asks me to do, I will be fulfilling on a voluntary basis," Marlene Farrugia said.

Both husband and wife work in their own private clinic as a family GP and dentist respectively. Marlene Farrugia was first elected to parliament in 2008.

Both Godfrey and Marlene Farrugia admitted that they had discussed who of them should accept the position of minister, if elected to parliament, in the months preceding the election. Marlene Farrugia confirmed that Muscat had informed the couple that they could not be both in Labour's new cabinet, and put to them the choice of which one would be appointed to a ministerial position.

"When we spoke with the Prime Minister, I told him that I understood his reasons for wanting only one of us in cabinet, that I respect it, and that I if he wanted to appoint either of us as Health Minister, I believed I that Godfrey could serve the country better than I in that role," Marlene Farrugia said.

"I also told him that I would be nevertheless willing to help in that ministry in whatever role or position that he felt I could serve towards the national interest," she added.

She said that she appreciated that Muscat respected what had been discussed in the months preceding the election.

On his own part, Godfrey Farrugia said that any such appointments are purely the Prime Minister's prerogative. But his wife dismissed any potential conflict of interest in working alongside Farrugia in a purely voluntary position.

Today morning's press event consisted of a meeting between Farrugia himself and General Workers' Union representatives and secretary-general Tony Zarb. While Zarb delivered an opening statement, Farrugia held back from commenting, requesting those assembled to leave so that the meeting could begin in earnest.

Several journalists were reportedly surprised at how they were requested to leave before Farrugia delivered his own statement, as is customary for such meetings when the press are only allowed to cover opening statements.

In a subsequent press conference later that day, Farrugia met with the press personally, and apologized for requesting that they leave the room without delivering a statement.

"I am always willing to answer questions and make the work of the ministry as transparency as possible," he insisted. "Our goal is to safeguard dignity of the Maltese patients, and so we will be more accountable in our service."

"I apologize if there was a misunderstanding," Farrugia told the press. "It was my first official formal meeting as a health minister."

He explained that the GWU had made a request for a meeting, which we had accepted, adding that he has already met with the Malta Medical Association (MAM) and with the Nurses and Midwives' Union (MUMN).

"Later on this week on Thursday, I will be meeting with the Union Haddiema Maghqudin UHM. It was a formal meeting, and the agenda was open. After Mr Zarb gave his introduction, I felt that it was the appropriate time, as informed by my communication officer, to request them to leave," Farrugia said.

Farrugia also downplayed concerns or reports that the media was somehow unceremoniously vacated from the premises. "I can say that this was done gently, and at the moment when, as had been agreed and communicated, for the meeting to start, and for the points on the agenda to be addressed."

Speaking about the meeting itself, Farrugia said that it dealt with precarious work and health and safety on the work place.

Asked about government's position on both issues, Farrugia focused on the issue of precarious work, saying "the preceding administration never tackled the issue of precarious work in a concrete manner."

"We inherited this situation... the health department is one of those departments that has the biggest chunk of people who work in this sector, both from the perspective of health assistants and also cleaners. We need to find solutions so that these workers are able to enjoy dignified wages as well as working conditions. It is something that we need to study. We are analyzing the issue, and in future we will announce the solutions that are suited to safeguarding the interests of these workers and their professions."