On April 10, I was taken acutely ill and rushed to the Gozo General Hospital where I had to be connected to a mechanical ventilator to survive.

My condition worsened and, a few days later, I had to be flown by helicoipter and transferred to the intensive care unit at Mater Dei Hospital.

I was certified by the consultant as being unable to continue with my professional duties. As a consequence, I was boarded out by the department where I worked and was put on social benefits. Since then I have overcome my disease and been discharged from hospital.

I recently recovered to the point that I feel I am able to return to work in the near future and perform most of the normal duties I used to do.

Unfortunately, I found out that I have to be reinstated and go through four successive medical and administrative boards to return to my former place of work in the public sector.

My file at the human resources office has now been closed and put away.

In other words, I lost my job.

It was nobody’s fault in particular but as a consequence of the present regulations.

I would like to make my experience public in the hope that whoever is in charge will change this policy.

Losing one’s job should not be a consequence of being taken ill. People get sick through no fault of their own.

I do understand that one goes on sickness benefit when sick leave runs out in a lengthy illness but it is not fair that one finishes up being unemployed.

I appeal to those in power to make amendments to these old and superseded laws in case other employees go through a similar experience.

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