The Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, yesterday hosted a well-attended Gibraltar Health Authority Public Meeting at the Charles Hunt Room.

The meeting provided members of the public with an opportunity to hear directly about recent developments and priorities across the GHA, as well as to take part in an open Questions and Answers session.

The evening began with welcome remarks from the GHA’s Director General, Dr Paul Bosio, who reflected on his first weeks in post and the importance of engagement with the community. This was followed by an opening address from Minister Arias-Vasquez, who spoke about the direction of healthcare reform, the progress being made across services, and the Government’s commitment to continuing to improve patient care. The Minister also took the opportunity to announce that she will shortly be reestablishing a Patient Voice Group, who will be made up of ordinary citizens from our community who and will bring suggestions for improvements directly to the Minister’s attention.

Attendees also heard a presentation from Mr Paul Hughes on the Urology One Stop Shop, highlighting the benefits of a more streamlined and patient-centred approach to care. Mr Andrew Gordon then delivered a presentation on Robotic Surgery, outlining the significance of this innovation for Gibraltar and the opportunities it presents for the future of surgical services.

The meeting concluded with a constructive and wide-ranging Questions and Answers session, during which members of the public were able to raise issues and engage directly with the speakers.

The Minister for Health, Care and Business, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, said: “I was very pleased to see such a strong turnout at yesterday’s GHA Public Meeting and to have the opportunity to engage directly with members of the public on the work being carried out across our health service. These meetings are an important way of ensuring openness, listening to people’s concerns and explaining the improvements and innovations that are underway. I am grateful to Dr Bosio, Mr Hughes and Mr Gordon for their valuable contributions, and to everyone who attended and helped make the evening a constructive and successful one.”