General Practitioners will be considered by the PN as main partners in its drafting of health policy.

Speaking at a meeting with the Medical Association of Malta (MAM), PN spokesman on health Claudio Grech said GPs should be the primary agents of the reforms needed to improve the quality of health services in a sustainable framework.

Mr Grech listed the PN’s proposals on primary and community healthcare and stressed that all stakeholders should treat the recommendations of the Council of the European Union on sustainability in the health sector with urgency.

“The PN believes that GPs, especially family doctors, have an important role to play in the development of the Maltese healthcare sector and should be considered as a complementary element to the services offered by the state and the private sector,” said Mr Grech.  The PN MP insisted that, in such a delicate sector, material decisions should be based on real consultation with all stakeholders, including trade unions, instead of on nominal information. “Effective consultation with trade unions will help avoid unnecessary disputes and industrial action.”