Health Minister: ‘Give me a chance and I’ll show you solutions’

He claims to have inherited a broken system that he is adamant he can fix, but Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia tells Kurt Sansone this will take time. One of the defining moments since you became minister was when you shed a tear for the patients you had to leave behind as a result of your appointment. Not everybody understood that emotional moment. How did you feel? After 28 years of continuous service as a family doctor with a catchment population of patients for whom you are not only a doctor but also a friend, it is obvious that separation hurts. But I know that my country has called me for service and those same people have lent me to the state to serve in this ministry. The pain is there but with self-discipline you have to stop serving them. On that particular day all these thoughts crossed my mind, including the children I used to see, who are like my children. Is it fair on your patients to suddenly stop seeing them? It is definitely not fair on you. There are obligations and ethical considerations to make, but it does create an element of unfairness when you have to stop seeing those patients, most of whom would have given you the chance to serve in a political role by...