“Care of the elderly must be given with the same dedication as if they were members of our family, but this requires full cooperation of all those involved in the provision of these services.”

Active Aging Minister Jo Etienne Abela said this when meeting UHM Voice of the Workers officials at the union’s headquarters in Floriana. The meeting was held on the initiative of Minister Abela as part of his tour of unions involved in the care of the elderly.

Jo Etienne Abela said he was looking forward to his new political experience of serving the people. In comments posted on Facebook at the end of the meeting, the Minister for Active Aging said that he strongly believed in Maltese trade unionism and consequently decided to dedicate time to meeting them in his first days in Cabinet. Minister Abela described his meeting with UHM as “very positive”.

On his part, UHM Chief Executive Josef Vella congratulated Minister Abela for his appointment and wished him success. He said that this meeting was a good opportunity for union officials and those at the workplace to share their experiences with the minister and ideas on the main challenges in this regard. the sector.

UHM Director Mario Sacco expressed satisfaction that the Minister felt the need to meet with the union from the very first days of his political mission and this boded well for the two sides to have a good relationship.

Deputy Chief Executive Gian Paul Gauci spoke about the work of the union in the health sector and explained that UHM was of the largest unions in this field as it represented hundreds of workers in various professions and at different grades. Assistant Director Isabelle Farrugia and the managers of the health and elderly institutions Analise Casha and Charles Vella were also present.

Jo Etienne Abela was born in Victoria, Gozo and prior to his venture in Cabinet worker as a consultant surgeon specialised in upper gastrointestinal and pancreatic operations.