Alternattiva Demokratika has said that it is useless to speak and boast of a universal and public health service if people have to wait months if not years on end to get an appointment.

AD spokesperson for Health and Social Policy Mary Anne Zammit stressed on the urgent need to address the acute problems in the Public Health Sector, both at Mater Dei Hospital Hospital and also the service, or lack of it, at health centres. "The delays in the upgrading of workers' grades and the filling of vacant posts in the Bio-Medical Engineering Section, in Mater Dei Hospital is directly affecting workers by putting more stress on them, something which is then reflected in the poor levels of service."

AD Chairperson Arnold Cassola said that the party's position has always been that investment in infrastructure without an investment in training and development of staff and in health centres would only lead to a transfer of the problems at Saint Luke's to a new location - to Mater Dei. He insisted the exaggerated waiting lists and waiting times for appointments in vital departments such as Opthalmology, Orthopeadics and Diabetic Clinic must be tackled urgently and immediately.

"Maltese and Gozitan people are finding that they have no choice but to resort to the private sector, even though they are contributing through national health insurance to fund the public system. This is leading to a deterioration in the quality of life since private health services are very expensive for the majority of people. Extending the patient contact hours for consultants and further specialized training for Medical officers would be a positive attempt in alleviating this problem."