Parliamentary health committee meets for its first session

In its first meeting this evening, the parliamentary health committee met to discuss a number of points of discussions that will be individually discussed in the coming weeks.

Proposed by Nationalist MP Claudio Grech, the committee was set up after finding the government’s support – something that has been described as a milestone in health by both the government and opposition.

"It's not only an important day for the Opposition, but also for the healthcare system in Malta,” Grech said in his opening remarks.... This is a sector which even though talked about and mentioned by all of the previous Governments, some decisions made in its regards, time and time again, fell susceptible to populist feeling and the political whims of the Government at the time", Opposition Health speaker Claudio Grech said in his opening speech.

"The Nationalist Opposition were and still are in favour of a political consensus in this matter.”

Grech said that while the most efficient criticism possible must be conducted, a say in all the decisions taken must be given to the main stakeholders at hand: workers and patients alike.

Describing the committee as a “crossroads”, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said each decision taken was "an echo for future health sustainability."

Without specifying what he was referring to, the minister went on to comment that he “deplored” certain “useless sensationalism” flagged up recently.

“I must deplore certain useless sensationalism which has been flagged up recently. I must appeal to the media that such rumors swirling around should not be considered automatically as fact,” he said.

As the debate opened up on primary health care, Nationalist MP Michael Gonzi pointed that no funds had been allocated in the previous budget for lifestyle propaganda and preventive health measures. But Farrugia said that primary health care was still the pillar of the health care system, and that several decisions have been taken regarding more efficient implementation of this system. 

"Change is not immediate: gradually though, we will reach the satisfactory targets we are reaching, and then we'll proceed even beyond this," he said.