A system under strain, a country that deserves better

Healthcare is where governments are judged, without spin, without slogans, and without excuses. It is where reality cuts through rhetoric and, today, that reality is stark, the system is no longer keeping pace with the people it is meant to serve.

After 13 years of Labour in power, we are witnessing the consequences of sustained neglect, misplaced priorities and broken promises. That is why, as we launched our campaign, we made a deliberate choice to begin with the sector that touches every life, the one that ultimately defines dignity, security and quality of life: healthcare.

A nation can debate many things. It can argue about policy, priorities and politics. But when a person falls ill, none of that matters. What matters is whether the system works, whether care is accessible  and whether it is delivered with urgency, competence and humanity. Today, that trust is being steadily eroded.

A recent report in the Times of Malta carried a chilling headline, ‘Surgery recovery ward turned into marketplace’. Behind those words lies a reality that should concern every one of us. Nurses themselves have warned that patients awaiting surgery are being placed in spaces designated for post-operative recovery, a practice that clearly compromises patient safety. They speak of a system stretched to breaking point, where it is only a matter of time before serious consequences, even the loss of life, become inevitable.

This is not merely inefficiency, it is a failure of responsibility. It is a system where workers are burnt out, patients are reduced to numbers and those who dedicate their lives to care feel unheard, unsupported and demoralised and, despite everything, our healthcare professionals continue to carry this system on their shoulders. For that, they deserve more than gratitude and recognition.

The challenges are clear. Waiting times for operations are no longer simply long, they are excessive. And let us be precise, this is not about waiting lists, it is about waiting time. It is about how long a person must endure pain, uncertainty and risk before receiving treatment.

There are services that remain unavailable locally, forcing patients to leave their country at their most vulnerable. Medicines are, at times, unavailable or not included on the national formulary. Families are left to navigate illness with uncertainty, stress and, too often, financial strain.

These are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a system under sustained pressure, a system that has not kept pace with the realities it faces.

After 13 years in government, Labour cannot claim surprise. Many of these pressures are the direct result of policy choices, a growing population without proportional investment in infrastructure, promises of new hospitals that never materialised and a continued reliance on facilities built decades ago while millions were lost in failed projects.

Malta deserves better. Our vision is clear and grounded in one principle, healthcare must work for people, not against them. This begins with infrastructure. Within five years, our aim is to establish a network of four modern hospitals and a National Health Village. A new hospital in the north of Malta, a fully equipped hospital in Gozo, significant investment in Mater Dei Hospital and the transformation of the Paola hub into a fully-fledged hospital. Together, these will form a connected healthcare network that brings care closer to people, reduces pressure on existing facilities and, most importantly, cuts waiting times dramatically.

Waiting times for operations are no longer simply long, they are excessive

Buildings alone do not heal people. People heal people. That is why investing in our healthcare workforce is essential. Today, we are seeing the consequences of neglect, burnout is real, resignations are increasing, expertise is being lost.

We must reverse this trend decisively. We will increase stipends for healthcare students to the level of the minimum wage, ensuring that those choosing this path are supported from the very beginning. We will address immediate workforce shortages by temporarily waiving costs related to the recruitment of foreign professionals.

At the same time, we will introduce targeted incentives to bring Maltese specialists back home, including a five-year income tax waiver for those currently working abroad. This is about rebuilding capacity, restoring confidence and ensuring that services are delivered locally, not outsourced by necessity.

Within the first 100 days, we will engage directly with stakeholders to improve working conditions and salaries across the healthcare sector because respect for healthcare workers must be reflected not only in words but in tangible change.

Alongside this, we are making a clear and firm commitment: cancer medicines will be provided free of charge. When a person is facing one of life’s most difficult battles, the system should stand firmly on their side, without hesitation. This is about more than policy, it is about restoring a fundamental understanding of what healthcare should represent.

For too long, people have felt like numbers within a system, I reject that. A patient is not a statistic. A patient is a father, a mother, a child, a person with a story, a family and a future. That is the difference in approach. That is the difference in vision.

None of this will change if we continue to accept what is no longer acceptable. None of this will change if we reward failure with more time, more excuses  and more broken promises.

May 30 is a moment of decision where the country must choose between defending a system that is clearly failing or demanding one that truly delivers.

This is why Malta needs a breath of fresh air.

Real change does not come from those who created the problem. It comes from those who have the courage to confront it and the determination to fix it.

This is my commitment to you: to restore a healthcare system that works, to stand with patients and professionals alike and to ensure that dignity, care  and trust are no longer promises but realities. On May 30, your vote is not just a choice. It is a statement that enough is enough, a statement that Malta deserves better.

Alex Borg is leader of the Nationalist Party.