ERG welcomes Well Person Clinic

The Equality Rights Group has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Health, Neil Costa, of a Well Person Clinic at the Primary Care Centre.

“Since the present administration came into power in late 2011, we have been urging Government to provide for a Clinic of this type; and it was in early 2012 that ERG first started meeting with then Minister for Health Dr John Cortes to propose a sexual health facility,” said a representative for the ERG.

It added that those discussions and meetings were numerous during the tenure of Dr Cortes in that portfolio and substantially contributed to the forming of the GSLP’s 2015 Manifesto commitments on sexual health.

“It was gratifying to continue substantial talks on the same issues under Minister Costa when he moved into the Ministry. Because through the many meetings we held with Mr Costa we were able to jointly evolve the initial framework for a sexual health clinic so as to arrive at the formula for a Well Person Clinic that has now been announced,” the representative added.

The group stated that it understand that the consultation process by Government with civil society organisations can be lengthy, the two-way dialogue between community player stakeholders and the administration is always of benefit to all.

“ERG understands that other NGOs also input into the process and congratulate them, too, for their work in attaining a new and real benefit to our community at large. With its introduction, the Well Person Clinic will, hopefully, not only alleviate a spectrum of preventative and curative diagnoses, but also, overcome the question of confidentiality and stigma in a small community such as ours,” said the representative.

“This announcement is a win-win for all,’ they added.