The Medical Association of Malta (MAM) does not oppose outsourcing certain operations to the private sector. However, according to an agreement with the government, MAM is meant to receive specific information six months in advance, which has not occurred in this instance, MAM president Martin Balzan told The Malta Independent on Sunday.
Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela has said that the government plans to double the expenditure for outsourcing certain operations and procedures to a “record” €14m for 2025. Abela stated that the government is aware that it needs to offer more services, and added that it has maximised services in government assets such as Mater Dei, the Gozo General Hospital, St Vincent de Paul, and now also the Paola Hub. He had said that the government wishes to increase the output of operations such as hernia and bone operations, as well as knee and joint replacements, among other procedures.
“MAM is not against outsourcing, but there are two things” which need to be considered, Balzan stated. He said that accessibility needs to be available for all doctors who are able to carry out the relevant operations, and the government is supposed to inform MAM about such initiatives and get the union’s consent six months ahead of time, he added.
“Although we have nothing against private-public partnerships, if the government has a contract with us, which dictates that they need to give us information six months ahead of time and get our consent, it should move in line with this agreement,” Balzan commented.
The Health Minister has also announced the government’s plans to close Mount Carmel Hospital within the next three years, citing the move as a strong step towards combating stigma. Abela had said that the government took the decision as “there is no frontier between physical and mental health”, adding that the stigma faced by mentally unwell patients needed to, in part, be addressed through the desegregation of healthcare facilities. He added that the specialists also do not want a separate hospital, and remarked that the shutting down of Mount Carmel “is a revolution in our medical history”.
Asked about his thoughts on this matter and whether he believes some problems may arise with the closure of Mount Carmel Hospital, Balzan said that MAM currently does not have any details and that how this will be carried out has not yet been discussed. He agreed that there is a stigma around Mount Carmel, but he cannot say whether or not he agrees with the government’s decision as he does not have the details leading up to this decision.
Balzan was also asked about Minister Abela’s comments about the lower number of Covid and PCV vaccine uptake in comparison to the influenza vaccine. In response to a parliamentary question posed by Katya De Giovanni in which the Labour MP asked for information regarding vaccine uptake in the country, Abela had replied that the government expected a greater uptake. Furthermore, he commented that vaccines are the best way to combat disease and avoid deaths as well as avoid hospital overfill.
Abela had stated that it was the government’s wish to encourage people who go for the influenza vaccine to also get the other available vaccines, namely the Covid and PCV vaccines, as he said that doing so could potentially save lives. He also remarked that he believes the “bad press” surrounding the Covid vaccine has undermined these efforts.
The MAM president said that concerning the Covid vaccine in particular, he thinks that there is “vaccine fatigue” and that many people believe Covid has passed and so think that there is no need to get the vaccine. He added that “bad press” around the Covid vaccine is not a situation specific to Malta.
“Covid is still around,” he commented, and continued that in regard to the PCV vaccine, he thinks that there is likely a need for more effective campaigning as it is “the oldest and safest”.
