Among the measures announced to further loosen COVID-19 controls announced by the Prime Minister during his press conference on Monday night concerned the resumption of several public health services. Although not primarily on the minds of most people, the provision of these services could be a matter of life and death for some.
At the beginning of the partial lock-down in March, nearly all outpatient and many psychiatric services, as well as all elective operations, were halted at Mater Dei Hospital.
These services were still available in a small number of private hospitals but for the vast majority of people, especially in these trying economic conditions, that was an option beyond them.
In the general fog of news overload about COVID-19, the fear and anxiety it has created and the social and economic disruption it has caused, many people have forgotten a simple fact. Before COVID-19, people were becoming sick with potentially life-changing or fatal illnesses. Those illnesses did not disappear when coronavirus appeared.
Over the past two months, people may have developed diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease and tumours, which have not been adequately investigated and treated.
Not to be forgotten is mental illness, something that has reared its ugly head to a disproportionate degree in the current circumstances.
Neglecting any of these could lead to far-reaching consequences for the patients and their families.
At the time, the suspension of those services was deemed a necessary evil after looking beyond shores at the experience of our European neighbours.
However, we have to come to terms with the fact that the virus will not go away for the foreseeable future. While some of the measures announced on Monday may be controversial, the restarting of a comprehensive public health service is not.
Malta has been lucky so far in terms of the number of deaths suffered as a result of the pandemic. Time will tell if we remain so.
We may find in retrospect that many more people have died as an indirect result: from not receiving the medical treatment they needed in a timely fashion.
The health authorities have a lot of catching up to do. Judging by their performance in the COVID-19 crisis so far, they will probably manage it well.
Also judging by that same performance, they will have to up their game when it comes to information and transparency. One of the biggest hurdles they face is the fear people have of visiting Mater Dei Hospital due to the fact it has been one of the main foci of coronavirus infections. Vague mentions of cases found in unnamed wards and of healthcare workers testing positive do not breed public confidence.
The whole hospital is being tarred with the same brush when it may be only one or two departments in that vast edifice that are affected.
If the health authorities want people to keep their appointments and follow up on investigations, they must be as transparent as possible.
The fear of the unknown is much greater when people do not make decisions based on clear facts.
The reluctance to answer a lot of journalists’ questions more clearly and directly – and thereby keep the public fully informed – has marred an otherwise excellent job done by the superintendent of public health.
We may have held COVID-19 at bay so far. It has not made us a healthier nation.
The next step is to do just that.