The Maltese Platform has formed a new Secretariat composed of Mario Gerada and Angie Farrugia. Mario Gerada was already a member of the Secretariat last year, whilst Angie is a newcomer. Angie and Mario have commenced their duties in the Secretariat as of 1st September 2007. Both Mario and Angie come from a social work background and can build on the sterling work done by the previous coordinator Roberta Micallef.
In the past few months, the Platform has particularly focused on 2 persisting issues: Maltese Aid and Migrants’ Health, through its working groups Aid Watch and Health Access to Migrants (H.A.M.). The Platform, through its Aid Watch Working Group has managed to create an ongoing national debate about Maltese Aid. This working group has also held talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss issues related to how Maltese Aid is allocated and its transparency.
The Platform’s Health Access to Migrants Working Group has worked very closely with Medecins du Monde (MdM). Staff members from Medecins du Monde were in Malta for 5 months to offer medical services in the Open Centre. MdM would have liked to extend their medical services to the detention centres as well, but the local Authorities only issued a permit for entry to detention centers during MdM’s final week in Malta (only after this was reported in the local media). Medecins du Monde together with H.A.M. held a meeting with Government Officials to discuss the possibility of continuing the medical service offered by Medecins du Monde. MdM has also collected data on health of migrants and migrants’ access to Maltese Medical Services. Medecins du Monde, in collaboration with the Platform, has launched a report on this data in a press conference on Friday, 31st August 2007. For more information regarding this report please access the links below. The Platform’s Working Group on Health Access to Migrants plans to follow the work done by Medecins do Monde.
Links to Newspapers Articles on the launching of the Medecins du Monde Report:
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=56682
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=273081
Link to the full Medecins du Monde report "Access to health care and human rights of asylum seekers in Malta. Experiences, results and recommendations":
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/Malta_MdMreport_HAM.pdf
Information provided by Angie Farrugia, National Platfom of Maltese NGDOs. For further information please contact: ngdo@maltaforum.org
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