Dr Anthony Buttigieg, medical doctor and candidate for ADPD – The Green Party on the 1st and 10th District called for mental health to be prioritised with increased investment for a better service within the community.

Addressing a Press Conference in Valletta on Saturday, Dr Buttigieg said that “during the CoViD-19 pandemic we were suffering another pandemic – that of mental health. There was an exponential increase in mental health conditions that showed up the current service as unable to meet the need. This has resulted in increased mental health problems within the community.”

“Mental health is many times treated as the Cinderella of the health service – more emphasis and resources are needed for mental health. Moreover, there is the urgent need for Monte Carmeli to be replaced by a new hospital with modern facilities for acute cases of mental health and that treat patients with dignity. More assistance should be granted to the Richmond Foundation and other NGOs that are giving a sterling service towards a better mental health within the community. Sheltered homes should be set up in every town and village. The community in which an individual would have grown in will remain of utmost support, whatever their problems,” concluded Buttigieg.

Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson and candidate for the 4th and 9th District on behalf of ADPD – The Green Party said that the party’s sexual and reproductive health proposals are two fold:

“Firstly, there must be decriminalisation: no woman that undertakes an abortion – whatever the reason – should be treated as criminal. A woman who goes through an abortion needs our support. It is imperative that society shows empathy and not persecution,” stressed Cacopardo. Empathy alone is however not enough. It has to be translated into specific action: hence our proposal to decriminalise abortion in respect of all women who make such a choice. Removing from the Criminal Code the threat of criminal action by the state, even if this has rarely been used would, even on its own signal the willingness of our society to be of help to all those women who face difficulties during pregnancies.

Secondly, it is not clear what medical interventions are allowed in the case of pregnancy complications. The law is not clear at all! ADPD is proposing that this is addressed through clear amendments so that it is clear as to the medical interventions permissible should complications developing during pregnancy be threatening to a woman’s life.

Although it is not known that any woman has died in Malta as a result of complications arising during pregnancy, there have been a number of cases where we were very close. The only publicly documented case refers to a Maltese-Canadian woman that following intervention refusal at Mater Dei in 2019, supported by her insurance, she had to be evacuated to a clinic in Paris with an air ambulance.
“It is simply not acceptable that in a supposedly civilised country women are brought to death’s door,” added Cacopardo.

It gets increasingly more urgent to place more emphasis on education relative to sexual and reproductive health at all levels of our educational system. This should lead to instilling a greater sense of responsibility in one and all, concluded Cacopardo.

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ADPD tisħaq għal servizz mentali tas-saħħa aħjar; ċarezza fil-liġi u dikriminalizzazzjoni fejn jidħol l-abort

Waqt konferenza stampa l-Belt Valletta dwar is-saħħa, t-Tabib Anthony Buttiġieġ, kandidat ta’ ADPD – The Green Party fuq l-1 u l-10 Distrett, iffoka fuq is-saħħa mentali u saħaq li hemm ħtieġa dejjem ikbar ta’ investiment fis-saħħa mentali b’servizz aħjar fil-komunità.

“Tul il-pandemija tal-COVID-19 kien hemm pandemija oħra, dik ta’ saħħa mentali. Rajna żieda enormi ta’ kundizzjonijiet ta’ saħħa mentali, bis-servizzi li noffru ovvju li mhux biżżejjed. Dan qed jirrifletti ruħu dejjem iktar fi problemi ta’ saħħa mentali fil-komunità.”

“Hemm bżonn ta’ iktar emfasi u riżorsi allokati għas-saħħa mentali li kultant qisha is-Cinderella tas-servizz tas-saħħa. Hu meħtieġ bla aktar dewmien sptar ġdid flok l-isptar Monte Carmeli b’faċilitajiet moderni u dinjitużi għal każijiet akuti ta’ saħħa mentali. Il-Fondazzjoni Richmond u organizazzjonijiet oħrajn mhux governattivi li tant jagħtu servizz tajjeb favur is-saħħa mentali fil-komunità jeħtieġu iktar għajnuna.  Għandu jkun hemm sheltered homes f’kull belt u raħal f’pajjiżna. Il-komunità li persuna tkun trabbiet fiha dejjem tibqa’ l-ikbar sapport għall-bniedem, ikunu xi jkunu l-problemi tiegħu.”

Carmel Cacopardo, Chairperson u kandidat ta’ ADPD – The Green Party fuq ir-4 u d-9 distrett tkellem dwar is-saħħa sesswali u riproduttiva. Qal li “dwar l-abort qed nagħmlu żewġ proposti ċari”.
“L-ewwel li jkun hemm dikriminalizzazzjoni. L-ebda mara li tagħmel abort, irrispettivament mir-raġuni, ma’ għandha tkun ittrattata kriminalment. Mara li tagħmel abort għajnuna għandha bżonn. Hu neċessarju li s-soċjetà tagħna turi empatija u mhux persekuzzjoni” emfasizza Cacopardo. 

L-empatija waħedha iżda mhiex biżżejjed. Teħtieġ li tkun tradotta f’azzjoni speċifika: għalhekk il-proposta tagħna ta’ dikriminalizzazzjoni fil-konfront ta’ kull mara li tagħmel din l-għażla. Li titneħħa mill-kodiċi kriminali t-theddida ta’ azzjoni kriminali, anke jekk din rari seħħet, ikun sinjal ċar tas-soċjetà tagħna, li hemm il-volontà li ngħinu lil kull mara li tiffaċċa diffikultajiet waqt it-tqala.

It-tieni: ma hu ċar xejn dwar x’miżuri mediċi jistgħu jittieħdu fil-konfront ta’ kumplikazzjonijiet fit-tqala. Il-liġi mhija ċara xejn. Aħna qed nipproponu li din in-nuqqas ta’ ċarezza ma tibqax. Il-liġi teħtieġ emendi ċari biex ikun ċar dwar x’interventi mediċi jistgħu jsiru waqt tqala li tkun qed tipperikola l-ħajja ta’ mara tqila.
Għalkemm s’issa f’Malta ma kellna l-ebda mewt li nafu biha riżultat ta’ kumplikazzjonijiet fit-tqala, l-informazzjoni mingħand it-tobba turi li kien hemm diversi każi fejn konna viċin ħafna. L-unika każ li dwaru id-dettalji huma pubbliċi hu dwar Maltija-Kanadiża li dwarha t-tobba f’Mater Dei irrifjutaw li jintervjenu u kellha tkun evakwata fi klinika Parigi b’air ambulance bl-appoġġ tal-insurance tagħha. Dan huwa każ li ġara fl-2019.

“Mhux aċċettabbli li f’pajjiż suppost ċivilizzat ikun is-servizz tas-saħħa li jwasslu n-nisa f’xifer il-mewt,” żied jgħid Cacopardo.

Hemm ħtieġa urgenti li issir emfasi dejjem ikbar fuq l-edukazzjoni dwar is-saħħa sesswali u reproduttiva fil-livelli kollha tas-sistema edukattiva u dan biex insaħħu sens ta’ responsabbiltà ta’ kulħadd, temm jgħid Cacopardo.