A Fresh Start: our country’s health must once again be a priority

•  Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista Alex Borg announces that in addition to the 13th district, he will also be contesting the 12th electoral district

•  During a political activity in Mellieħa, Alex Borg announces further proposals for the health sector

•  Students in the health sector to receive a stipend equivalent to the minimum wage, while all other students’ stipends will increase by 25%

•  Improved pay and conditions for healthcare workers, and a five-year tax break for Maltese specialists who return from abroad

Our country’s health must once again become a priority.

During a political discussion in Mellieħa on the second day of the electoral campaign under the theme A Fresh Start, Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista Alex Borg said that a new Nationalist Government will ensure that health once again becomes a priority. He referred to a Times of Malta article in which nurses spoke about hospital areas turning into something resembling a marketplace – where patients recovering from operations are exposed to people constantly coming and going around them, putting their health at risk. Alex Borg said this is how the Government is treating people’s health, and this is the burden that healthcare workers have ended up carrying. This is a heartbreaking situation, and a new Nationalist Government must guarantee better healthcare than this for the Maltese and Gozitan people.

The Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista said that a Nationalist Government will cut waiting times for operations. It will also ease the burden on cancer patients by ensuring that cancer medicines are included on the Government formulary and provided free of charge. A Nationalist Government will not send cancer patients to beg for their medicines, Alex Borg said.

“A Labour Government has no credibility in healthcare. Today, a Labour Government is still using the hospital in Gozo that was an investment of a Nationalist Government. It is still using Mater Dei – an investment of a Nationalist Government. And the ‘investment’ it made in healthcare were the millions handed to Vitals and Steward.”

The Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista said that the proposals he has launched in healthcare are a contract he is making with the people. A Nationalist Government is promising four hospitals in Malta and Gozo, and will build a National Health Park serving as a centre for lifestyle and rehabilitation. But the Partit Nazzjonalista also wants to invest seriously in healthcare workers. Young people who choose health-related subjects will see their stipend increased to the level of the minimum wage. In addition, all other students’ stipends will increase by 25% to encourage them to continue their studies.

To expand services in new hospitals until there are enough Maltese healthcare workers, a Nationalist Government will temporarily eliminate costs related to work permits and visas for foreign workers needed to ensure sufficient staffing to meet population demands.

The Partit Nazzjonalista also wants to incentivise the many Maltese specialists working abroad by offering them a five-year tax break if they return to work in our country.

Alex Borg said that the Partit Nazzjonalista wants to give A Fresh Start to healthcare, and with a vote for the PN on 30 May, this is possible.

Alex Borg began his address in Mellieħa by paying tribute to all those who served the country and the Partit Nazzjonalista, and who emerged from this district – including Eddie Fenech Adami and Ġorġ Borg Olivier – while announcing that in addition to the 13th district, in the next general election he will also contest the 12th district, which includes Mġarr, Mellieħa, St Paul’s Bay and Burmarrad.

Before the Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista spoke, psychiatrist Nigel Camilleri also addressed the activity, stressing that if we truly want to invest in mental health, we must also invest in improving quality of life, including air quality and the environment. He praised the PN’s proposal to gradually and responsibly transition patients out of Mount Carmel Hospital and instead provide high-quality community-based mental health services. He also called for support to schools so that mental health services are available there as well.

Candidates of the Partit Nazzjonalista Paul Mazzola, Ian Vassallo, Stephen Spiteri and Ray Gatt also spoke.

Paul Mazzola explained how a new Nationalist Government will ensure that Maltese and Gozitan families have more efficient access to community healthcare services. Today, many localities have ended up with closed health centres and clinics, while those still open are overstretched. A Nationalist Government wants patients to receive care closer to home and to reduce pressure on hospitals. He said it is unacceptable that funds meant for healthcare services continue to be wasted as they have been in recent years.

Ian Vassallo gave further details about the National Health Park announced by the Partit Nazzjonalista – a specialised centre focused on prevention, early intervention, rehabilitation and lifestyle. This high-quality centre aims to help people develop lifestyles that protect both their physical and mental health, prevent illness where possible, and provide early interventions. It will also offer therapies and treatments during the rehabilitation phase. “We are not reinventing the wheel. We are simply giving people the healthcare services they deserve – something a Labour Government has failed to do over the past 13 years.”

The Partit Nazzjonalista’s pledge that all treatment prescribed by consultants to cancer patients will be free of charge was the focus of Stephen Spiteri’s address. This promise means that those already burdened by cancer will have peace of mind that they will not have to carry the financial burden of treatment or be forced to seek help elsewhere. Stephen Spiteri recalled the PN’s track record in government in healthcare – Mater Dei Hospital, on which Maltese healthcare depends today, and the Oncology Hospital – both testament to the vision consistently held by the Partit Nazzjonalista. This stands in stark contrast to a Labour Government which, over the past 13 years, has had no vision for healthcare.

In his address, Ray Gatt spoke about how the Partit Nazzjonalista intends to transform the quality of healthcare services by building new hospitals. This will help reduce the heavy burden currently placed on Mater Dei Hospital. It is unacceptable that spaces such as staff canteens and the medical library are being converted into wards. Investment in a new hospital in the North, the expansion of the Paola Hub into a new hospital, improvements at Mater Dei to meet demand, and a new general hospital in Gozo will help distribute the service load more efficiently.

Following Mellieħa, Thursday evening’s political activity will take place in Għargħur, to be addressed by the Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista, Alex Borg.

29.04.2026