The Minister for Health and Active Aging Jo Etienne Abela, together with the Minister for Social and Affordable Accommodation Roderick Galdes, inaugurated a Telemedicine Clinic in Binja Silvio Parnis in Siġġiewi.
It was explained that this service consists of virtual consultations with specialist doctors in the field of family medicine, or by graduate doctors who are specializing in this field. The telemedicine service in the field of Primary Care was set up in March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, and 250 to 350 virtual consultations are being held every day with doctors in this field.
Minister Jo Etienne Abela said that this is another important result when it comes to health care where he said how Primary Care is the basis and pillar of health in our country. Jo Etienne Abela said that telemedicine has many advantages from which the patient is benefiting. In fact, he explained that since the beginning of the year, more than 400,000 people have used this service – which is offered 24 hours a day, from Monday to Sunday – and have been given help and even referrals for their treatment. . Apart from that, where there was a need a doctor was sent to the houses.
Minister Jo Etienne Abela said that on the part of the ministries, a number of talks are ongoing to not only continue to introduce concepts of primary care in the community, mental health care and the concept of ‘living ‘ in suitable and protected spaces, but also discussions are taking place about affordable housing for the elderly.
“These projects continue with the work and the vision we want for the health sector in our country to see that we have a health service, close to the patient, that is increasingly efficient. Speeding up the processes is important, but we want to continue to see that safety and quality remain central to our operation,” concluded Minister Jo Etienne Abela.
Minister for Social and Affordable Accommodation Roderick Galdes stated that the ministry is implementing a proactive vision that looks at the holistic needs of the person. “When we were planning Binja Silvio Parnis, a social housing project in Siġġiewi, we also thought of building two clinics,” the minister continued to explain.
The first clinic is the Professor Albert Fenech Clinic, which was inaugurated a few months ago, and is providing an important service not only to the residents of Binja Silvio Parnis, but to the entire Siġġiewi community.
“Today we are inaugurating the second clinic, this time of telemedicine, which will offer a service to all our citizens. With a substantial investment of around one million euros, which included the construction and finishing of this clinic, today we are giving the Maltese and Gozitan people a clinic that can offer an efficient, twenty-four hour medical service an hour a day. A service that will make a difference in the lives of so many families,” concluded Minister Roderick Galdes.
Photos: MHA/MSAA
