The Malta Independent online
17 March 2010
by Scott Grech
Health Minister Joe Cassar yesterday announced that the government is ironing out final details before giving the go ahead for the construction of a new “rehabilitation hospital” which is expected to hold between 200 and 280 beds.
Speaking during the Convention for Maltese Living Abroad, which is taking place all week at the Exchange Buildings in Valletta, Dr Cassar added that half of the women called to undergo screening at the breast screening clinic agreed to do so. The breast screening clinic was open towards the end of last year, with the minister revealing that seven of the 2,000 who were screened had contracted symptoms of breast cancer.
“The government, from as far ago as 1987, has continuously striven hard to enhance the services and quality of medical care in the community. Some incentives introduced include Telecare, Meals on Wheels and Homehelp, while measures are in place to allow old age pensioners and mature people the opportunity of purchasing medicines for chronic diseases from their nearest pharmacy.
“The government is doing all it can to invest in human resources, besides investing in the latest medicine for preventive care, to meet the demands of the population. As a result of this work and commitment, Maltese men enjoy a life expectancy of 77, while that of women is 82, with Malta having one of the highest life expectancies in the world,” said Dr Cassar.
Because of two fundamental characteristics, those of equity and solidarity, which are enmeshed in Maltese society, the quality and accessibility of medical care in Malta is higher than that of other countries, added Dr Cassar.
“This I can vouch for myself, having spent five years living in the USA and it is such qualities that Barack Obama is trying ever so hard to instill in the lives of US citizens. Having lived away from Maltese shores for a spell, I can say that absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder. Many Maltese living abroad still hold the country of their birth at heart, which is the reason why in 2004, the government published a legal notice granting the issue of a Maltese passport to those permanently living abroad, as well as granting equal accessibility and rights as other Maltese should the call arise for medical assistance, should they temporarily live in Malta,” said Dr Cassar, before wryly remarking that you could always tell the presence of Maltese in a conference because the first front rows are always empty.
Concluding his speech, Dr Cassar said that one of the government’s short term aims for the medical sector include continuing with the modernisation of residential homes for the elderly, such as St Vincent de Paul, as well as increasing the levels of services and information on geriatric care, with the government also soon to launch a national cancer strategy in liaison with a renowned cancer institution in Paris, France.
The conference is chaired by Professor Joe Pirotta, and several persons who spoke yesterday agreed that the trend is for Maltese to seek pastures new at an adolescent age, before returning to their homeland as senior citizens.
Mgr Philip Calleja, President of the Emigrants’ Commission said that the first convention was held in 1969, at a time when emigration was sky high.
Also taking the time to say a few words was Paul Rosario Borg, who concluded from time spent abroad with Maltese communities both in Sydney and in Melbourne that one of the major obstacles in determining whether a person enters into an aged care facility in Australia depends on the financial aspect of the individual, before adding that Maltese and other southern European migrants are among the worst affected people in the world of diabetes and obesity, which he put down partly to the good intentions of family and friends.
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=103188
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