A few months before last year’s MEP election, I met a family in Birkirkara after which I compiled a ‘things to do if elected’ list. While visiting the local market, a woman and her daughter approached me to tell me of their distressing situation. The father of the family needed urgent medical treatment.
The operation he needed could not be done in Malta, nor in the UK, where Malta has a very good NHS agreement. With the EU Directive on Cross-Border Healthcare, the operation could be done in Italy but this family was struggling to navigate the system.
I gave them my contact details and began trying to guide them through the European Directive on Cross-Border Healthcare and its application in Malta. The EU directive, in principle, grants EU citizens the right to access medical treatment across the union. Through persistence and several discussions with the authorities, we managed to get the green light for the government to pay for the father’s treatment in Italy.
That day, I realised just how crucial it is for Maltese and Gozitan citizens to have someone in Brussels fighting for their healthcare rights. Today, as an MEP, I am determined to continue this mission with even greater determination. We need to ensure that families, like the one I met at the Birkirkara market, can easily make use of their EU-wide healthcare rights.
That is why I am proud to announce my membership of the newly established European Parliament committee focused on health. This committee marks a significant step forward as it will shape EU policies on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, crisis preparedness, mental health and patients’ rights.
It will also oversee key agencies such as the European Medicines Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
Most importantly, for the first time, a Maltese voice will be present at the health policy decision-making table, ensuring that our country does not remain an afterthought in EU health policies.
This comes at a crucial time for Malta, where the public healthcare system is in crisis. The fraudulent hospitals deal orchestrated by the Labour government robbed taxpayers of hundreds of millions of euros, funds that should have been invested in strengthening our health services. How many families with rare conditions could we send for treatment in Italy, Germany, France and beyond with the €400 million squandered on Vitals?
Instead of acting like a good mother of the family, spending money wisely, preparing for future needs, our government is overseeing a severe deterioration in patient care, with longer waiting times, an overstretched emergency department and increasing frustration among medical professionals. Meanwhile, Labour MEPs remain silent, failing to hold their own government accountable for the damage inflicted on our healthcare system.
How many families with rare conditions could we send for treatment in Italy, Germany and France with the €400 million squandered on Vitals?- Peter Agius
Unlike them, I am in Brussels to serve the people, not an authority. I have already reached out to Adrian Delia, the Nationalist Party spokesperson on health, to coordinate our efforts and push for real solutions that benefit Maltese patients. Together, we will strive to ensure that every euro dedicated to healthcare is spent wisely and that Maltese and Gozitan citizens receive the high-quality medical services that they deserve.
One in 10 Maltese people suffer from diabetes, something many people are unaware of. We need to raise more awareness about diabetes and ensure that our health system is focused on this fact. I recently hosted a high-level discussion on diabetes at the European Parliament, bringing together experts, patients and stakeholders from Malta and across Europe.
For the past years in Malta, I have also been advocating for universal access to Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs), which, for far too long, were only available to younger patients. Age discrimination in diabetes care must end and I am renewing my call on the Maltese government to ensure that all patients receive the care they deserve.
Last year, I also joined a group of MEPs intent on advancing Europe’s great potential to beat cancer. This week, I attended the launch of a White Paper on liquid biopsy to help cancer patients. Standing there with MEPs and the industry listening to the amazing possibilities of science made me even more determined to do all I can so that the most advanced technologies are available to Maltese patients.
I also recently spoke in the European Parliament in support of better EU funding for educational resources for children with learning difficulties, including incredibly talented children with autism, ADHD and a number of other learning obstacles like dyslexia and dyspraxia. Their condition becomes a problem only because our educational formats do not adapt enough to their particular genius.
This is what I promised during my campaign and this is what I will continue to do – be the voice of the people and deliver concrete results. The challenges in our healthcare sector are immense but, with determination and the right representation in Europe, we can work towards a system that prioritises patients, not political interests.
Rest assured, I will not stop working until Maltese and Gozitan families receive the healthcare they are entitled to.
Peter AgiusPeter Agius is a Nationalist Party MEP.