Health Minister says he voted in favour of Malta joining the EU

Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia said today that he voted in favour of Malta joining the EU during the referendum 10 years ago. He was speaking during a visit to the Oncology Centre at Mater Dei when a member of the media pointed out that the centre would not have been possible without EU funds. Dr Farrugia sad the project works were on target and the centre should open for patients in the second quarter of next year. He said works had at one time fallen back by four months but the delays were being recovered. The project was initially projected to cost  €60 million, he said, but that had been reduced to €54 million after careful analysis by the government, he said, without going into specifics. €44m of that amount will be issued by the EU. Dr Farrugia said the former government's cancer plan involved an outlay of €2.5m but the government of the time had only allocated €800,000 for it. The new government was trying to make up the shortfall because it involved, among other things, the engagement of radiographers. With the completion of the Oncology Centre, the Rainbow ward and the haematology unit of Mater Dei and the Solid Tumour section of Boffa Hospital will migrate to the new...