Justice has prevailed in case over life-saving diabetes operation

The report (November 28) on the young person living with Type 1 diabetes who was awarded over €74,000 in damages signifies a victory for Daniel Cassar and for all persons living with diabetes. The report illustrated Mr Cassar's perseverance in going against all obstacles to fulfil one fundamental right - to live!

On the other end it is shameful that this person had to end up in court to achieve something which in my humble opinion is his right. If we as Maltese nationals are entitled to free medical treatment in Malta, once this was not available in our country, why wasn't this person given the necessary treatment overseas?

I question the authorities' refusal to cover treatment overseas on the basis that this procedure did not fall under the publicly funded health care services package. This is unacceptable. What if the individual could not afford to fork out the costs for the intervention? What options are left to the person living with diabetes?

In Malta nearly 10 per cent of our population has diabetes; there are others who have this condition but do not yet know it. With these worrying facts on the cards, how can the authorities reach such a decision? On what grounds was this intervention refused?

I sincerely feel that the authorities concerned should re-visit the system and tackle each case on its own merits. There may be cases where the intervention is not necessary and could wait and others where the intervention is vital to survive. Hopefully this judgment will not fall on deaf ears - on the contrary it should serve as an eye-opener to all to ensure that all systems in place are correct and do not discriminate against one condition or another.

A person living with diabetes has to endure the biggest challenge of living with this condition - such an incident places unnecessary burden and pressure on innocent persons who are pursuing their right to live.

Mr Justice Ray Pace's comments when passing this judgment, that "denying free medical treatment to a dying patient in order to balance the country's social security system is draconian" truly says it all!