Disorganisation and staff shortages at community health centres were contributing to "avoidable" deaths, according to the Medical Association of Malta. The doctors' union's general secretary, Martin Balzan, told the Times of Malta long patient waiting times in health centres were leading to people either remaining undiagnosed or being funnelled to the State hospital. "The situation at the health centres is one of disorganisation, mismanagement and understaffing. The result is that patients who could be diagnosed by general practitioners there are often not," Dr Balzan said. He was reacting to a report by the EU's statistical office which found that two out of every five deaths in Malta could have been avoided in the light of medical knowledge and available technology. The report, published earlier this week, found there were 476 such deaths in Malta in 2013, that is, 42 per cent of the dead. Malta's "avoidable death rate" was significantly higher than the European average of 33.7 per cent. According to the report, the term "avoidable deaths" means those that would not have occurred had there been more effective public health and medical interventions in place. Dr Balzan, a...
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