Management of waiting lists (2)

Since Social Policy Minister John Dalli had justifiably described the waiting lists at Mater Dei Hospital as "scandalous", nothing has been heard on how this problem will be tackled to relieve the people from continuous suffering.

Sometime ago, the ministry said that it was working on a data gathering system for Mater Dei. The fact that information was "scattered throughout the different departments", was hampering proper planning. Although there is no doubt that the ministry is doing its utmost to organise the system, we still haven't got a clue as to how more efficiency is going to be introduced and how the waiting lists problem is going to be addressed.

It is useless for the Ministry to continue pointing fingers at the previous Administration. Those who are in the queue for a cataract, hip, knee or whatever operation, want to know when and how they are going to be treated. Waiting for years for an urgent operation is surely scandalous in this day and age.

The government is planning to spend millions of euro on various projects, among them the gateway to Valletta and the site of the Royal Opera House. I'm not against development or the overdue building of the entrance to our city.

But if I had to choose to spend money between any project or to solve the waiting lists problem to alleviate the suffering, I would not hesitate to choose the latter as health and suffering should take precedent over any other priority. But we know that politics dictate otherwise.

For rich people, there is no problem to go to private hospitals or abroad if they cannot wait their turn at Mater Dei; but the poor who cannot afford an expensive operation expect the government to see to their needs in a reasonable time.

Now, enough time has passed for the government to decide what must be done to tackle the increasing waiting lists.

The government spends so much money on dubious projects and on Mater Dei itself; why is it then hesitating to spend some of these millions on an agreement with the private hospitals to cut down on the waiting lists?

Surely the people would approve such a plan over any other project. Health and suffering should supersede any other item on the government's agenda.