HM Government of Gibraltar describes Together Gibraltar Party Leader Marlene Hassan Nahon’s actions as opportunistic populism that seeks to leverage the Government’s investment in the health services’ strategic vision to the benefit of her further political ambitions.
It is incomprehensible and an insult to the intelligence of the electorate to suggest that TG’s criticisms of 6 days ago could have brought about the creation of the Government’s ‘7-Point Plan’ for the strategic development of the health services; this is an outcome of the Government, championed by the Minister for Health, Samantha Sacramento, in collaboration with Prof. Ian Cumming OBE and senior members of the GHA over the past six months.
Furthermore, the appointment of a Director General and other collaborative roles demonstrates the exact opposite of Together Gibraltar’s austerity aspersions.
The Government is investing more today than it did yesterday in our health services and will invest more tomorrow than it does today – with value for money being a key feature of this investment.
Such nonsensical comments from Together Gibraltar alleging that there is any semblance of austerity within the GHA fly in the face of the obvious facts that the GHA has received more public money in the past ten years than it ever has in the past, with investment in health each year exceeding the year before, in particular in the last three years. There are also more people employed in the clinical and administrative posts in the GHA than ever before. Given that austerity is the word used to describe the reduction of costs or the reduction of posts, that is an entirely inaccurate and therefore illegitimate way to try to pervert the course of the public’s understanding of the issues affecting the GHA and every other public health care system in the world.
The health services are constantly evolving and innovating, and it is incumbent on the Government of the day to keep abreast and in lockstep of these changes to the benefit of the people of Gibraltar. This Government is committed to steer the Gibraltar Health Authority on to the next chapter of its development and to this extent, has embarked on the delivery of the GHA’s 7-point plan.
A final criticism of Together Gibraltar’s populism is its penchant to interfere with the Government’s industrial machinery without having all the facts at its disposal.
The Government has highlighted that it will discuss developments with the relevant union representing the workforce at the GHA’s maternity services, inclusive of patient safety and care concerns that the Government holds in these respects. Ms Hassan Nahon should be reminded that there is a critical difference between governing and campaigning and if the Party’s outlook remains unchanged, it will be woefully unprepared to meet the needs of Gibraltar and its community if it ever has the opportunity to attempt to do the latter over the former.
ENDS
