University of Malta to get new medical school – health minister

Health Minister Chris Fearne has announced plans for the construction of a new University of Malta Medical School building in Malta, next to Mater Dei Hospital.

Fearne was speaking yesterday in Parliament about the health sector’s budget for 2020, when he praised yesterday’s opening of the new Barts Medical School building in Gozo and said that Steward Healthcare had invested over €30 million in this. He said that Malta also deserves a new modern school as well.

He indicated that construction of a new medical school will begin next year, and said that the health ministry, together with Mater Dei Hospital’s management, would be holding talks with the University of Malta and the Ministry for Education. In the coming weeks, he said, discussions with the dean of the current medical school and the Dean of Health Sciences, as well as medical students, will take place to help plan this new school.

“This would result in our country having two modern medical schools,” Fearne said.

Turning to electronic patient records, the minister also announced the introduction of such records for the primary care system, and said that as from November, a system will begin to be introduced first in the Kirop Health Centre, and then spreading to the rest in the coming months, as well as eventually to family doctors, which would mean he said, that wherever a patient goes for care, his patient record will be available to those treating them.

Referring to criticism of waiting times at the emergency ward, Fearne said that the government introduced the patients’ charter four years ago, which dictates the maximum amount of time a patient should wait for treatment in the emergency ward.

People going to the emergency ward are listed on a priority scale between 1-5, with 1 being the most urgent.

He said that while those in extreme emergencies are seen instantly, those who are categorised between 1-3 should not wait more than four hours. Four out five patients in this category are seen within four hours. He said that patients listed in categories 4 and 5 are to be seen in six hours, and 90 per cent of them are. This, he said, shows that the majority of cases in the emergency ward are being helped in a reasonable and adequate time, “especially when compared to five years ago when people were waiting 13 hours on average.”

Turning to obesity, he said that next year will see the introduction of obesity clinics in health centres, which will consist of multi-disciplinary teams and provide services for obese patients.

He said that there are plans to start the process to change all the ambulances in the country, which are now getting old he said.

Turning to Mount Carmel Hospital, he said refurbishment works are ongoing, with every hall being fixed. He said that the aim is to make patients there more comfortable, while also reducing the number of patients there over time until it eventually closes. He mentioned the upcoming demolition of a block which will then be turned into a therapeutic garden.

On the Addolorata cemetery, he said that work on the extension has begun so that by mid-next year, the first 400 new graves will be ready. Eventually, there will be a total of 2,800 new graves, meaning that the waiting list would have been tackled, he said.

PN MP Stephen Spiteri, speaking in Parliament, said that the healthcare budget needs to focus on both the present and long-term.

He said an emphasis needs to be made on the ageing population, depression, diabetes and dementia.

“It is important that the government and the opposition work hand-in-hand with the unions to provide stability and to make sure everyone is included,” he said.

On primary care, he highlighted the need to strengthen the family doctor sector.

He stressed the importance in investing in tackling obesity and diabetes, and highlighted the importance of preventative measures.