Leaping into the Unknown is Dangerous and Crazy

During the speech i made yesterday 16 Th February at Qawra (Taht it-Tinda) ,i wanted to elicit three points . The first was that the Health services in Malta have passed from a point where it was at an absolute ruin during the '77 to a service today which ,in the majority of areas is first class

.The second point i wanted to make is that in the press ,we hear about cataracts ,hip replacement ,knee replacement, waiting lists and waiting times but no one ever mentions the excellent service various departments in Mater Dei offer.  Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology ,Ophthalmic department,which is not only concerned with cataracts ,it saves people's eyesight when more serious conditions affect the eye . No one knows that this department ,this year has invested in a more sophisticated Laser equipment and has turned a single large room into four small rooms so that more Patients can be treated in one session. Our Medical Specialists , respiratory medicine and Cardiology are tops in their own class. Orthopaedics is not only involved with hip and knee replacements but it treats patients with multiple fractures ,treats bone decease, spinal problems and multitude of other ailments.

Than i mentioned these small specialised clinics most of them run by specialist nurses , Commcare which is a blessing for primary health . Nurses assess patients at their homes and direct holistic care to the patient . The recently established Crises Intervention Unit which is another brilliant idea where patients with psychiatric or psychological acute problems are treated urgently. I also mentioned the fact that Medicine is continuously evolving; new things crop up every day , new technology ,new medication .A stent ( a small expansible tube inserted into the heart' artery to open it up) is not the same type of stent we used 5 years ago. We use more sophisticated ones which try to keep the artery open for much longer periods .
All this can happen because we budget for this ,year after year and a budget means having funds to do this .If these are lacking ,than Health in Malta will fall back.

The third point i wanted to make is the way forward .
 Our programme for the next five years is exactly what Malta Health service needs today. A leap forward in Primary Care .Three regional health centres equipped with minor operating theatre which enables small operations to be performed there . This will reduce the work load on Mater Dei as well as enables patients to be cared for closer to their locality. Not only so ,but more community services can be introduced which will ensure a more preventive type of approach to be taken .This is the way forwards .Medicine today is not only tackling the disease that crops up but it tries to prevent disease . This means that instead of waiting for the patient to come to the doctor ,it is the community service which asks every client to come for a specific check up. This is giving excellent result in the breast screening .It will give excellent result with colorectal screening (intestine) .We can envisage the potential eradication of colon cancer if everyone cooperates . Now we plan to screen cervical pathology ( Pap tests etc)which will also help in saving lives .

Why did we concentrate on Diabetes ? 10% of the population suffer from this condition and it can affect any age group .Younger age groups suffer more and normally they need more aggressive medication. Older age groups suffer from a progressive deterioration in the condition . These disease affects the small arteries in every part of our body ,it literally narrows them ,so untreated and uncontrolled it affects all organs of the body.This means that complications are widespread .Heart,eyes,legs,feet etc can all be affected .So every diabetic has to undergo an array of tests and investigations to minimise these complications and treat immediately . We are already experts in treating this condition .We want to go one step further where research and community based preventive medicine takes over .We want to catch the disease before it shows up .We want to teach potential diabetics the benefits of a change in lifestyle which is basic in avoiding or delaying complications .

I did not mention the new state of the art oncology hospital ,rehabilitation centres ,and investments in the Pharmacy of your Choice. I did not mention that although we passed from a period of global financial instability we still managed to increase the health budget every year.

One last thing i did mention .That this is a free service and it will remain free .Provided that the country maintains its present direction .Embarking on a different direction could pose a risk to our financial stability . If this happens, the first two factors which will be affected are the social services and health .Look at what is happening in Greece ,Spain, Portugal. UK is also passing from these cuts with education taking a big toll .

Do we want this ? Do we need a change in direction ? Can this change really bring about a better Malta? Can this change bring about a worse Malta than today?  This risk would not be so grave if Malta is down in the dumps as was the case in the '80 when there was a change in government from MLP to PN .Today Malta fares well with any European country ,if not better .So a change for the sake of change is a grave risk to every Maltese person .

Leaping into the unknown is dangerous and crazy.

Michael