‘Let us put our differences aside to help those in need’ - Claire Micallef Pule
L-Istrina comes around every year, and the Maltese people open up their hearts in a nationwide act of support, helping those who require assistance during their most difficult time.
Claire Micallef Pule, a Manager at the Malta Community chest Fund Foundation (MCCFF), sat down with The Malta Independent and spoke about the MCCFF, its work and the upcoming L-Istrina. She has been with the MCCFF for ten years, and has been with the Office of the President for 25 years in all.
Unlike previous years when things calm down during the Christmas season, this year Malta is seeing countless protests, general public concern over the government and over the murder investigation into an assassinated journalist, and the announced resignation of the Prime Minister.
Asked whether she is concerned that people might not donate as much this year, given the current political situation in the country, she said that she was concerned when she saw some Facebook posts asking for a boycott. “But on the other hand, when these things happened, I was also overwhelmed by messages from people, as well as patients we have previously assisted and their families, showing support.”
In her message to the people about this year’s L-Istrina, she said: “I believe that the Maltese people really understand that when it comes to illness and tragic circumstances, and that we can rise above the situation and focus on the people who really need our help.
“My appeal is for Maltese and Gozitans, as they have always done, to unite for L-Istrina and remember that there are people who are passing through many problems, due to health issues or tragedy. Let us support them and help them.”
L-Istrina tends to beat the record every year, but does Micallef Pule believe this can be done this year given the current situation, or is it too much to hope for?
“Well we are hoping. I look at things from the perspective of the people we meet everyday, and we know that the amount of requests increase every year. We do hope, but for me to say whether we will actually exceed the record... what I wish and what will actually happen we still need to see.”
This version of L-Istrina will be the first held with George Vella as President. Asked what kind of personal touch the new President has placed on the event, she highlighted that the President is “a much loved and well-known family doctor, and so whenever we speak to him about certain cases he immediately understands. I believe that this is going to help us a lot.”
Asked if, given the change in Presidents, anything has changed, or if a different message is being sent out this year, she said that there is no different message.
“We deal with people’s needs, and although these needs vary from one person to another, as such the needs in general do not vary. The usual requests and the appeals we receive are the same.”
Many people view the MCCFF as a foundation that mainly helps out patients with severe illness, but it does more than that.
“There are three pillars,” Micallef Pule explains. “The first revolves around social assistance, which deals with the most basic needs, from food to basic household needs,” she said.
“We have several requests from people who have high monthly rent that they need to pay and need support for example. Those are assessed by our team of social workers. They assess each case, meet the family, see what problems arise and try to go further than just providing financial help.”
The second pillar deals with medical issues and treatment abroad.
The third pillar is the section for persons with disability. When it comes to any kind of equipment or therapy, or anything being offered to help make them live more independently and comfortably, we try to assist. Equipment such as a motorised wheelchair for example, could cost €10,000. So this is an area where approvals are usually quite expensive.
She was asked whether she has noticed a change in the kind of requests the MCCFF receives since she began working with the Foundation, such as more people requiring high end medication for example or more people needing to travel for treatment.
“Medical aid requests have increased in number, because the options and choices that are available internationally have grown. As an example, the latest cancer treatment is called immunotherapy, and many patients who were previously undergoing normal chemotherapy are finding this immunotherapy therapy better.”
Asked whether it is offered in Malta, she said that there are some types that are already funded by the Maltese government, she explained, “and there are some others which are not. In the world of oncology treatments change all the time, so what was a wonder drug 18 months ago would most probably now not be. Oncologists are always on the lookout for new drugs and treatment, and most of the time these drugs would not be on the government’s lists as they would be the latest ones.”
Asked whether the requests for aid from the MCCFF in general increased and if yes, whether this trend due to more requests for a certain societal group such as the elderly, or children, she said that it Is not possible to classify it as a trend, “but these things do change a lot”.
“The requests for parents travelling abroad with their children has increased for example. Over the past three years, we have had around five cases where an expecting mother would undergo a test during pregnancy, through which they would realise that
they need to travel abroad as the moment the child would be born, a particular operation would be required.”
She said that they would travel to the UK normally, and when the baby is born he or she would be operated on in a matter of minutes.
Turning to recent cases where the MCCFF has provided support, she recalled the story of a young man, a teenager, who came along with his mother.
“He had a very serious eye problem which could not have been tackled properly locally. The mother didn’t know what to do and someone suggested that she go abroad in order to check her son’s condition. She went, and at the time she did not know that the MCCFF would have been able to help and so she had not yet come to us.
“The total cost was around €14,000 in all. They did not have that amount of money and eventually she came to us for help. When I saw this teenager, it was heart-breaking. He had lost his sight in one eye, they weren’t able to save it, and with the condition he was risking losing his second eye and becoming completely blind, but thank God they managed to find a solution in London.
“We also assisted her, not just financially, but we helped her son become a patient sponsored by the Maltese government, and each time he had to travel since then he was sent as a government sponsored patient.”
During the interview, she highlighted that one would meet people who wouldn’t know “that we would be able to offer assistance to them. Working here, you take it for granted that most people know, but when you don’t need that actual help you wouldn’t know how it works, and what it requires to apply.”
“If there is enough time before travelling abroad for treatment, most try to contact us and we would then have ample time to explain how it works, making contact with them and keep in contact, which is very important. We like to keep contact with people who travel abroad for treatment and need to remain abroad for a long time, it make a big difference for them.
“Recently we were in London and met some patients who didn’t know anything about how we can help. So it was a good occasion to explain to them the procedure, how it works, what receipts to keep to present to us etc.”
Remembering the past
Asked which case she remembers most over her ten years with the MCCFF, she said that cases involving children tend to go straight to her heart.
“One of the most beautiful success stories that comes to mind is about a six-year-old boy who was born with a very rare condition and who needed hospital treatment. He needed to travel abroad several times. When he was still a baby his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and when he was in London, his father had to donate a kidney to him. So this family was going through a lot. The boy was being operated in a hospital in London, and the father was being operated on in another hospital in London so that he could donate his kidney to his son. Seeing this little boy now, you wouldn’t believe that he had gone through all that.”
There are many people who the MCCFF need to help, she explained.
“We have ongoing cases which will remain ongoing for several years, with children especially. We have children who travel every eight weeks for regular check-ups, and who sometimes need to remain abroad for several weeks.
“A particular boy was taken abroad for care when he was just a few weeks old. At first the diagnosis was that he had some heart problems, but eventually they realized that he needed a thymus gland operation, and he needed to have a thymus gland donation. It was very complicated and he was the first Maltese patient to undergo this kind of operation. Aside from hospital visits locally, the family needs to travel very frequently due to the child’s medical situation.”
Brexit
A major concern some people have is over the effect of Brexit, given that the MCCFF help a number of patients seek treatment in the UK.
“As soon as we heard about Brexit we made inquiries about the effect, but we were told that the agreement between the Maltese government and the UK government dates back more than 40 years, and so we were informed that it should not affect us. We were assured that the agreement between both countries had nothing to do with the EU.”
She said however, that she will continue checking.