The EpiPen buys those who suffer an allergic reaction time to get to hospital.

Potentially life-saving medication that buys those who suffer an allergic reaction enough time to get to hospital should be administered as basic first aid, according to an allergy doctor.

He joins a chorus of parents who are calling on the authorities to find a way to enable teachers to administer the injection known as EpiPen to children at school, saying their safety was at stake.

Dr Zaid Teebi said the EpiPen, which is prescribed by a specialist, is a medication which can save a life.

“In case of an allergic reaction, administering it will be life-saving because it stops a severe reaction and buys the patient enough time to get to hospital for more care,” he said.

Without entering into the merits of whether teachers should be trained to administer the EpiPen or not, Dr Teebi, a physician with a special interest in allergies at the only allergy clinic in Malta, said anyone with basic training could use it.

“Even a 30-minute demonstration session could be enough for someone to know how to help a child administer it. The EpiPen is good because it can be administered even over clothing, but you need a few minutes of training before doing it,” he said.

Discussions on the matter are still under way between the Education Department and the Malta Union of Teachers.

Union directive out of place, dangerous and insensitive

The union wants to appoint first aiders in every school to be responsible for such measures. However, no agreement has been struck yet, leaving parents wondering whether their children will be safe at school once the scholastic year restarts.

One parent, Conrad Portanier, argued that the union directive stopping teachers from administering the EpiPen in the eventuality of an attack was “out of place, dangerous and insensitive”.

Dr Portanier, whose son is allergic to nuts and has to carry the EpiPen around with him, insisted that wherever there are groups of children, such as schools and childcare centres, there must be someone who knows how to administer the EpiPen injection.

“The Malta Union of Teachers should withdraw its order to teachers not to administer the EpiPen. In the event of an emergency, prior to any clarification on the matter, a teacher should feel free to administer the EpiPen to save a child’s life in case there is no nurse,” he said.

Dr Portanier called for increased awareness of the condition especially since the number of people afflicted by it was increasing.

He said the government ought to consider providing free EpiPens to families who were means-tested and who could not afford it as these were expensive and had a shelf life.

The Maltese Diabetes Association said children with diabetes faced the same problem at school, and found no one to administer or assist them with their insulin injections.