New Malta Crematorium Project to launch following cemetery extension

Jul 7 2021

Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne revealed that a crematorium in Malta will be launched within the coming months. In a response to a parliamentary question from Claudette Buttigieg, the Deputy Prime Minister said that the project is due to launch once the extension to Addolorata cemetery is completed. A legislation approved by Parliament made cremation services legal in Malta since May 2019, with Rosianne Cutajar leading the legislation.

Cutajar stated the Maltese government should hand the entire concession for the country’s cremations to one crematorium. This would make it all more feasible, even in terms of environmental concerns which accompany cremation.

Regulation will all be in the hands of the Superintendence of Public Health. They will be responsible for monitoring crematoria, conduction inspections and empowering them to take all necessary action if license obligations are found to have been breached. A national registry will be set up to record people’s wishes on whether they want to be cremated.

As of yet, there is no clear answer as to who will operate the service. Camilleri Funeral Directors showed interest in 2019, with cremation believed to cost somewhere between €550 and €750.

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Photo Source: Chris Fearne, Wikipedia

Silvio Schembri proposes early University lessons stay online for good

Jul 7 2021

Speaking in an interview with news portal Lovin Malta, Economy Minister Silvio Schembri proposed that early-morning and late-afternoon lectures at the University of Malta should be accessible online for good. This was proposed in order to reduce the university’s parking problems which have been known to cause daily issues for all attending the institution. Interviewed by Lovin Malta’s Chris Peregin about MIMCOL’s economic vision for Malta, Schembri highlighted the movement of education from live lectures to online settings following the outbreak.

Despite not being sustainable for young children, tertiary level students can still make use of online education permanently. Schembri pointed out how the pandemic accelerated some developments and that they should not be scrapped as mitigations are eased. Learning online will be capitalised by targeting individuals wishing to pursue academic studies with Malta’s higher education institutions.

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Photo Source: Welcome Center Malta, Silvio Schembri FB

Malta braces for another week of scorching heat

Jul 7 2021

Malta is set to experience another full week of just sweat-inducing heat and scorching sunlight. Starting yesterday, Sahara desert heat returned and made its way up towards our sunny little island, albeit with less intensity than the recent heat wave. Temperatures are still set to feel as hot as 36 degrees Celsius however, with UV hitting 11 and 10 sporadically throughout the week.

This might come as a bit of a relief following the seemingly unending heatwave which scorched our island just a few days ago. It will still be the perfect summer atmosphere however. And that comes with both beach-prepping excitement and health warnings reminding everyone to hydrate and avoid the sun’s worst hours. Stay safe and enjoy the beach!

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Photo Source: Malta Travel Guide

COVID deaths reduced by two arthritis drugs in new study

Jul 7 2021

It has been revealed that two arthritis drugs reduce the risk of death and the need for ventilators among hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Drugs tocilizumab and sarilumab were analyse in nearly 11,000 patients, with the results published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The World Health Organisation (WHO) was prompted by the new study to recommend the use of the medicines known as IL-6 inhibitors among patients with severe or critical COVID-19.

Among hospitalised patients, administering one of the drugs in addition to corticosteroids reduced death risk by 17%, compared to the use of the corticosteroids alone. For those not on ventilators, the risk of progressing to mechanical ventilation or mortality was reduced to 21%. The drugs are normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

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Photo Source: Conseil de l’Europe