Category: Values

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Values

The Libyan Patients

You take an unplanned break from blogging and when you come back you find out that nothing much has changed. Last time we were blogging regularly (seems like ages but it’s only a week ago) we commented on the farce that was the MUMN’s badly managed PR about the stress caused to the Maltese health system by 16 Libyan patients (one has since passed away).

In the interim, Dr Gozi has declared the ITU closed for business in a very pre-Arriva bus-driver style declaration of “Full Up”. The MUMN, eager to stay ahead in the national foot-in-mouth championships couldn’t resist another jibe at the country’s manager’s political priorities. Apparently crassly insinuating that Libyans should not be treated before every last Maltese national gets his taxes worth is not enough. MUMN ups the ante and engages in further stereotypification. And what better “class” of citizens to use than the “Gozitans”?

Apparently, as a badly drafted Times of Malta headline goes: “Gozitan patients lacking same political commitment given to Libyan patients“. Which either means that the patients from Gozo are not as sufficiently politically committed as the Libyan counterparts (Not dying for the patria are we?) or – as the “given” in the title seems to insinuate – there is not sufficient priority being given to the needs of Gozitan persons coming to Malta for treatment.

Forgetting this grammatical cul-de-sac for a minute, it is absolutely ridiculous of the MUMN to actually bring this particular card out of their twisted set of lobbying instruments. The “Gozitan” cause is usually useful to either politicians who want to specialise in a “minority” niche (if it’s not South then it’s Gozo or Sliema or Siggiewi) and turn it into something really really special. It is also useful to particular columnists who tend to thrive on a bit of Gozitan beating every now and then – spuriously linking localised examples of very Maltese ignorance to one particular geographic corner- as though what happens in Gozo never happened in Bisazza Street, Rabat or Cospicua.

I know. I’m biased. But what should that change? Are we stupid enough to erect barriers in the spittle of an isle that we call home? What next? Siggiewi patients deserve more attention in Maternity Ward? And where the fuck are the ethical principles that should be the foundation for a caring profession? For heaven’s sake – doctor, nurse, scrub, whatever – if you are in a caring profession then I’d expect you in the very least to be seeing each and every patient as just that: a patient. It’s not an ID Card that you have to cure, it’s a burn, a bullet wound or a severe case of toxoplasmosis.

Gozitans, Libyans, Siggiewi people, Xewkija people – that’s not the language for nurses or their representative association. It’s the dangerous language of politicians who are prepared to go down the route of “great minds” before them… a geezer named Adolf comes to mind.

Don’t worry though. They’ve found another dog close to death in a skip. All this fuss about dying Libyans and underprivileged Gozitans will soon be sidelined to favour the plight of Malta’s latest animal hero.

I wonder if the Centru San Frangisk has a policy about particular breeds. “What? A boxer? No siree…. we’re politically committed to Chihuahuas, Spaniels and Whippets…. “

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Values

From Crimea to Benghazi

“Nurse of the Mediterranean”, “Florence Nightingale”. These terms are no coincidence and were not invented by some nationalist spinmeister in an effort to boost our “pride” in our country. As Maltatoday picks up on public sentiment and reports that three Maltese patients were moved out of the ITU to make way for injured Libyan persons (you can sense Saviour puffing behind this bit of news), it would do all of us a favour to calm down a little and have a look at the numbers behind all this fuss.

To me the crucial bit of the Maltatoday article is the part that reports the number of Libyan patients threatening to cause havoc with our health care facilities. Given the fuss that has been kicked up by the insensitive NIMBYISTS on one hand and by the superproud heroes of nationalist persuasion on the other you’d have thought we were talking of Lampedusa Thousands. Hah. The real number is 16. Sixteen. That’s a kindergarten class (I think).

Let’s take the hands of time and turn them back a century and half ago. It’s November 1854 and there’s a war in the Crimea. That’s far, far away in Maltese provincial terms but since we were then under the administration of the British Crown we could not afford to ignore the geopolitical realities beyond San Dimitri point. The Crimean War gave the world the Charge of the Light Brigade, familiarity with the word Balaklava and Florence Nightingale. It was also the reason that Malta became, for the first time under British occupancy “the nurse of the Mediterranean”. Before that Malta had already played host to the Knights Hospitaller which is not simply a decorative adjective but an indication of the vocation of the Knights of St. John as medics. Hence the Sacra Infermeria.

But back to the Crimea and Malta. Here is Mr C Savona Ventura in an article I found quickly (not much time for research here) on the net describing Malta’s hospital role and the grand plans by Florence Nightingale herself to design a hospital in Malta. What is immediately striking is the request from Britain to set up to receive 10,000 (that’s ten thousand) war wounded on the island.

The Crimean War of 1854-56 served as a turning point in military medical administration. During the Crimean War Malta served as an outpost to treat wounded soldiers. The Malta Times wrote “Orders were received here from England to prepare quarters for 10,000 men. Several localities are being fitted-up; among others, the Lazzaretto and adjoining Plague Hospital, where it is said there is room for 1000 men, and the Dockyard lofts where as many men can be housed. Convents will be used if absolutely required, but not otherwise.” The first wounded soldiers arrived from the Crimea in November 1854 [17]. (…)

Florence Nightingale in her book Notes on Hospitals first published in 1859 took up the proposal of a new military hospital in Malta. In the 3rd edition of her book dated 1863, Nightingale suggested that a new General Military Hospital should replace permanently the Valletta Station Hospital. (C. Savona Ventura – Military Hospitals in Malta)

If anyone has the time to find the actual figures of how many wounded were treated in Maltese hospitals in World War I and during the Crimean War it should help give us more of a sense of perspective to the political fuss that is being kicked up here.

 

During the First World War, like the Crimean War period, Malta served as a “Nurse of the Mediterranean”. From the Gallipoli campaigns 2500 officers and 55400 troops were treated in the Maltese hospitals, while from the 1917 Salonika campaigns 2600 officers and 64500 troops were treated. The years of the conflict thus required the significant augmentation of hospital beds for injured and sick troops. The number of beds in the Valletta Military Hospital were augmented from 26 beds to 340 and later to 440 beds. This augmentation was achieved by renovating disused wards and bringing the sanitary and medical facilities up to date. The Valletta Station Hospital served as a sorting base for the wounded arriving in the hospital ships prior to their being transferred to the other 30 hospitals and camps scattered over the Islands.  (also from C Savona Ventura – Military Hospitals in Malta)

* this post relies heavily on information gathered from the article “Military Hospitals in Malta” by C. Savona Ventura available here.

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Values

Qatar

It’s official. Malta is one of the safest places on earth (bar Qatar). Apparently the Maltese archipelago is one of the zones of the earth that is least prone to natural disasters with a 0.72% risk of such an abomination occurring. There is one country that is safer and that country is Qatar (0.2% risk). While I was reading this fact sometime yesterday it struck me that this was the second time that I thought of Qatar and Malta at the same time.

Qatar, a Gulf state that has hitherto lived in the shadow of its giant neighbour Saudi Arabia is living a gold age. Success story follows success story with social improvements and business stories being the daily staple diet of the Qatari people. Sure, they have been well treated by mother nature since they do not only sit on the safest real estate on the planet but it also happens to be a source of black gold. It’s not just that though. It’s what the Qataris are doing with it that is fantastic. They have large scale projects, a modern society that has attracted major sporting events (FIFA World Cup anyone?) and smart investments. Qatar was given a heads up by mother nature and capitalised on the consequences.

Hearing a report on France Culture about Qatar’s success story I couldn’t help but wonder how important it is for a nation to realise its assets and capitalise on them quickly and efficiently. It also means investing wisely and pushing for the right marketing….

Just think about this. The Malta Tourism Authority decided to sponsor a team in the UK in order to raise Malta’s profile among the Brit tourist crowd. Who did we choose? For some obscure reason it was Sheffield United. Now much as I might think that the blades have a wonderful footballing pedigree steeped in history I cannot but question whether this partnership was well thought out.

Back to Qatar. Next time you see Barcelona skip onto the field in their Champion’s League outfit take a look at the sponsor on their shirts. Let me just add that Barcelona were famous for being one of the largest teams that obstinately refused to accept a shirt sponsorship for a very long time before finally accepting to carry “UNICEF” in the place of advertising. Well UNICEF is there no more. Do you know which country’s name sits proudly on the chest of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi while they weave their magic infront of a global audience?

Yep. You guessed it. Qatar. In the form of the Qatar Foundation. Here’s the vision statement from their website:

an independent, private, non-profit, chartered organization founded in 1995 by decree of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, to support centers of excellence which develop people’s abilities through investments in human capital, innovative technology, state of the art facilities and partnerships with elite organizations, thus raising the competency of people and the quality of life.

And here is their mission statement:

Qatar Foundation’s mission is to prepare the people of Qatar and the region to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world, and to make Qatar a leader in innovative education and research. To achieve that mission, QF  supports a network of centers and partnerships with elite institutions, all committed to the principle that a nation’s greatest natural resource is its people. Education City, Qatar Foundation’s flagship project is envisioned as a Center of Excellence in education and research that will help transform Qatar into a knowledge-based society.

Now that’s what I would call smart.

 

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Values

Lunchbreak

Right now is the time of that gap in the time-space continuum when the General Box labelled “Summer” starts to shut slowly taking with it the smells of the sea, the sweaty brow of the aestival traveller and the dizzy dreams of dolcefarniente. At the same moment the musty smells of the humid “Autumn” box start to drift into the atmosphere – spreading like a cold virus at the break of September. It’s a general feeling of stasis before the momentum returns of “work as usual”.

The Times (UK) economic commentator Anatole Kaletsky had a great article referring to the seasonal changes in Wednesday’s edition (Take cover: A financial hurricane is blowing in – *paid subscription required). Kaletsky highlighted the fact that in moments of great financial depression, the worst period to look out for is the end of August – beginning of September period:

Almost all the great financial crises of history have occurred between late August and mid October: the Wall Street crash in September and October 1929, the collapse of the prewar gold standard in September 1931, the sterling devaluation of September 1949, the collapse of the postwar Bretton Woods currency system in August 1971, the Mexican default in August 1982, which triggered the Third World debt crisis, the stockmarket crash on Black Monday in October 1987, the break-up of the European exchange rate mechanism on Black Wednesday in September 1992, the Russian default in August 1998, the Lehman bankruptcy in September 2008 — the list goes on.

Kaletsky plugs into the general feeling of doom and gloom that your average news follower might be experiencing at this moment in history. You know that feeling don’t you – Death’s scythe all over the place, the misery of war, famine and pestilence coupled with stories of natural hurricanes and financial earthquakes. For heaven’s sake, I was reading the same issue of the Times yesterday and I had in mind to do some more honeymoon travel research after that. Sure enough, two (two I say) articles about honeymoons where disaster struck – sharing the same page. A man eaten by a shark and another couple run over by a car. And this was the Times mind you, not the Daily Mail.

Doom and gloom or not, September has come rushing in closing what has been for the North of Europe the coldest summer in living memory. We might still be in time to witness the collapse of an economic system or at least feel the full brunt of the economic crisis. We might still witness more death and disaster before the month turns into October and drags to All Hallows Eve. September might be the time to appreciate the little moments of calm. Just like the lady I caught lounging on the grass on the bus stop behind the EIB (European Investment Bank).

The flags fluttering in the late summer breeze, the sun bearing down in a warmish afternoon and the relaxed fonctionnaire lapping up (or should I say stealing) the last of the summer rays. Forget the hurricanes for another day. It’s time for the galactic lunchbreak.

Carpe diem.

[learn_more caption=”photography”] Photo shot using Hipstamatic app on an iPhone 5. lens: Libatique 73 film: Cano Cafenol place: Kirchberg, Luxembourg (BEI Bus stop) date: 01.09.11 around lunchtime.[/learn_more]

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Values

What Paradise?

The immigrants are rioting. The Maltese comment boards are rife with spiteful messages of the “send them back home” kind. Forget blaming the police or the government. It’s the whole damn country that’s in a mess at the worst possible time. I’m not speaking of hysterical bloggers switching attention from the real issues to a slide show of cheap voyeurism. I am speaking of the mentality that is evident on every bus, in every queue, in every department or shop. It’s how people yell at each other. How they judge and sell relative opinions. How the primadonnas of this world panic at every moment that they seem to lose what they perceive to be control of their twisted corner of whatever market they seem to occur and how the masses enjoy their role as supporters in a dog-eat-dog world without realising that the dogs are biting at their hearts.

My errands on this holiday have taken me to the Emigrants Commission and to the Public Registry. I’ve used public transport, I’ve driven and on breaks I’ve had a chance to see the mass at work – through the multiplicity of individuals who squat on this tiny rock. We’ve lost something along the way these past few years. It’s a mixture of values, attitude and outlook to life. We’re on the defensive while thinking in cliches. We’re rashly judgemental and highly egoistic. We’re an ugly mixture of materialistic hedonism and false moralism. We’re oblivious to the world across the sea while we continue to peddle the fable of a whole universe on one small island that could live without anyone and that does not need anyone. And when the world passes to our shores we panic and yell. We shout “Move Up”, “What do you want?” “Stand Back” “Go Home” “Five euros and twenty cents” “Tini dak” “Qabzitli” “That’s mine” “X’buzz mann” in unison and speak in a tongue of anger an remote-controlled frustration without any reference point.

The immigrants may be rioting in Safi. There may be policemen injured doing their job. The rioters might be yelling “Freedom, Freedom”. But in the end you cannot help but wonder whether their riot is misguided. You cannot help but wonder whether they are safer in the confines of their detention. You cannot help but wonder that with the experiences and stories that life has harshly and unfairly thrown at them, it’s the walls of their detention centre in Safi that are keeping them away from the mass of prisoners on an island inhabited by false moralists and hypocrites.

The Safi inmates yelling for Freedom might still be in time to realise that the real prison lies beyond the confines of the Safi Centre.

What detention centre? In an island of hypocrites and false moralists we are all prisoners. This is no paradise to be banished from.

COMMENT IS FREE. STILL. THINK BEFORE YOU TYPE.

‘We are all just prisoners here, of our own device’

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Values

A nation of stone-throwers

The judgement in the case of the two paedophiles Godwin Scerri and Charles Pulis has justifiably leapt to the top of the most talked about news stories on the ether. There is no doubt that any normal human (anybody who does not have a Breivik streak anyway) will have passed through a mixture of emotions when hearing about how these two beings (they do not deserve to be called men) abused of the position of trust and responsibility with which society had entrusted them. Indignation, disgust, anger, sadness (for the victims) and the strong primitive desire to punish that hides the even more primitive need for revenge and retribution surely played a part in all of this.

While there is no doubt that Godwin and Charles deserve society’s strongest of reprimands and punishments that should be meted out in proportion to their heinous crime, it is also true that society – particularly the “instant liberals” need to put a damper or two on their enthusiastic attempts  to throw everybody and everyone in the same basket. Sure Godwin and Charles operated under the guise of (and abused the name of) priests. Does that justify the sudden lynch mob directed towards priesthood in general? Is the institution so base as to suddenly equate it with “assassins” or “necrophiliacs”?

Let me state this differently. Our criminal law contains an aggravation (a factor that means that the crime committed will be punished more harshly) in the case of a policeman committing any crime. If a policeman steals something for example, his punishment is aggravated because he is committing a crime that he was duty bound to prevent. The crime is the same (theft) but the penalty is harsher (aggravated) because of the person who committed it. For a very logical and sound reason (that most people can get to without outside assistance) there is nothing written in the Criminal Code about punishing the whole police force whenever a policeman commits a crime.

Now “the Church” (and not only the MSSP) is a vast institution and I never tire of reminding people that it has an important social role to play within the fabric of many societies let alone ours where it has been a mainstay of society for at least a thousand years. We may suddenly have a lynch mob that has emitted the verdict of GUILTY on all priests and all MSSP members in particular but they conveniently tend to forget that the operation of orphanages in this country of ours (not to mention other social support structures) is entirely dependent on the Church. It is a service that goes on every day unnoticed (and mostly untrumpeted) in  much the same way as your postal service works daily away from the limelight.

There can be no doubt that Malta’s Church requires a period of reflection and introspection : it has to ask itself which parts have gone wrong and why. It is not just the rotten apples that need seeing to but much more. From a lay point of view, the Concordat with the Maltese State has done the Church (and Malta) more harm than good and would best be disposed of as soon as possible. But this is not the time to stone the Church to death. The rotten part of the Church must go. For the sake of the Church and for the sake of our society that still depends on many of its valuable services.

Unleashing the lynch mob of “anti-papists”, “anti-clericals” and “liberal extremists” who won’t rest until they have the metaphorical blood of the Church on their hands will lead us to nowhere. Believers and non-believers might find that they have the same duty and social responsibility to help the Church redirect itself and its flock to living in a more tolerant world where abuse of trust does not happen so easily.

Hopefully it will not happen at all.