Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday that “recognising the debt we owe our elderly for the great country we live in today, successive Nationalist governments have a proven and proud track record of care for our elderly.

“Nationalist governments procured substantial improvements in their quality of life, increased their disposable incomes and secured a much wider range of options and opportunities in retirement.”

The PM said that “the Nationalist government invested €180,000 every day (over €65 million a year) directly in procuring the best quality care for our elderly. The fruits of our commitment to the elderly were confirmed by a study conducted jointly by the OECD and EU which gave Malta a top ranking for life expectancy and, perhaps more importantly, healthy life years.”

“Still, a new Nationalist government will strive to improve all of the above and more over the next five years.” The Prime Minister highlighted several initiatives — outlined in greater detail in our electoral programme –including the PN commitments to:

· Open a new rehabilitation centre providing all rehabilitation services required by a patient – including cardiac, respiratory and orthopaedic rehabilitation.

· Redouble our efforts to ensure that the elderly participate fully and actively in society – more than 10,000 pensioners are now engaged in gainful employment and have not lost any of their social security pension.

· Increase and improve home care services provided for the elderly – including by the introduction of tax incentives for those who have a carer and the provision of special equipment (beds, mattresses, breathing apparatus etc) as required.