The Nationalist Party in a statement from three Gozitan Nationalist MPs, Chris Said, Frederick Azzopardi and Kevin Cutajar, referring to preparations for Covid-19 on Gozo, said that the Party is “offering its collaboration through recommendations and constructive criticism so that Gozo will also be able to meet the challenges of this virus.”

The MPs said that they followed the press conference addressed yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Chris Fearne, Gozo Minister Clint Camilleri and the Steward Health Care leadership in charge of – Gozo General Hospital.

“The measures that have been announced, some of which had already been proposed by the PN, are in the right direction and the Opposition welcomes them,” they said.

However, the PN said that from what is being observed, other questions arise: “Why do we have to wait two to three weeks for the increase in number of intensive care beds at Gozo General Hospital?”

According to the PN MPs, “beds for Covid-19 patients will be increased to 120 because a number of operations have been postponed in Gozo and because the elderly in Santa Anna are being taken to a hotel in Victoria.”

They added, “therefore this is not being achieved because Steward Health Care provided more beds, so will this all be paid for by Steward Health Care or the Government?”

“Steward is supposed to have completed the new 450-bed hospital by June 2018, while the Government should have completed a new home for the elderly in Ghajnsielem four years ago,” said the PN MPs.

They arged that, “had these projects been completed on time as promised, there would have been a sufficient supply of beds and people would not have had to be moved – Who will take responsibility for this?”

Gozo swabs tests will not be analysed locally on the island, but in Malta, with the risk of wasting valuable time and resources, said the MPs. “Why has the Government not requested that Steward Health Care have the necessary equipment to enable this analysis of swabs to be performed in the Gozo hospital?”

They also asked why the need for safe premises for Gozo ambulance drivers, who are currently having to use a container, were not addressed,

The MPs queried  why Covid-19 patients are not being taken by air for treatment in Malta, especially now that a new air ambulance is supposed to be starting.

PN questioned whether “sufficient measures are being taken to really protect Gozo Channel workers, such as in the case of Covid-19 patients having to be transported to Malta for treatment?

The Opposition MPs went on to query “why Gozo Channel workers were sent on forced leave when foreign workers on the Nikolaos worked seven days a week?”

The Nationalist Opposition urged the Government “to answer these questions for the benefit of Gozitans.”

Photo by Anthony Zammit

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