PN accuses Labour of broken promises in health sector, repeats call for reform

The Nationalist Party’s focus on health continued in this first week of the election campaign, with Shadow Health Minister Ian Vassallo and Shadow Minister for Finance Adrian Delia speaking about the party’s proposals aimed at strengthening Malta’s healthcare system while sharply criticising the Labour government’s record in the sector.

Vassallo said the PN had chosen to place people’s wellbeing at the centre of its policy agenda, insisting that “health cannot be bought.” He accused the Labour government of abandoning several key projects, including the promised new mental health hospital, the expansion of emergency services, and the opening of wards that never materialised.

Vassallo noted that the government had failed to create the proposed fund for cancer treatment medicines, adding that the PN’s first proposals include free cancer medication for all patients. “Our proposals are carefully prepared; we know where we’re heading,” he said, stressing that the PN’s vision ensures every citizen receives the quality of care they deserve.

He lamented the long waiting lists and underperforming hospital infrastructure, including Mount Carmel Hospital, which he said “has long needed a fundamental transformation.” Vassallo proposed a phased plan to replace Mount Carmel, distributing patients between four smaller hospitals. Acute cases would be treated in hospital care, while long-term patients would transition to community-based facilities offering a more therapeutic environment.

Adrian Delia linked the deterioration of the health system to financial mismanagement, referencing the “Vitals scandal” which, he said, cost Malta around €900 million. “This is one of the clearest examples of waste under Labour’s watch,” he argued.

Delia said the PN plans to focus on eliminating waiting times rather than merely reducing waiting lists, explaining that citizens “deserve to know when they will actually receive treatment.” He also stressed the need to reform mental health care, calling it “an essential but still stigmatised part of our national health framework.”

Both PN spokesmen underscored that the party’s vision looks to the long term. They voiced commitment to investing in medical staff retention and training, aiming to build a health system that is efficient, fair, and independent of political favouritism.

“The Nationalist Party’s goal,” Delia concluded, “is a Malta where people don’t depend on the government for dignity in healthcare – because the system itself guarantees it.”

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