PN says cancer medicines should not depend on charity

The Nationalist Party supported calls for the public health service to fund required cancer medicines directly instead of leaving patients dependent on charitable support. Shadow health minister Stephen Spiteri said life-saving treatment should be available as a right and not through a means-tested route. The intervention intensified debate about the boundary between state healthcare provision and assistance from the Malta Community Chest Fund. It also placed focus on how quickly new oncology treatments enter the government formulary and whether access is equal for patients with different incomes.