Persons assisting those who were in danger should be granted immunity from prosecution, according to the draft of a new law currently being discussed by the Parliament’s Social Affairs Committee.

Opposition MP Claudio Grech, who had originally brought the Bill before the House as a private member’s bill, explained that the law was an attempt to encourage persons to intervene to help those “clearly and imminently” in critical danger.

Existing measures only cover health professionals on duty, and do not apply to civilians. The new proposals would continue to develop principles that were first introduced to grant immunity to drug users seeking medical help for fellow users who had overdosed.

Dr Grech said that the Bill would not be go as far as Irish law, which imposes a clear duty of care and penalises those who fail to offer assistance, although he did not rule out such measures in the future.

Malta Union of Teachers president Marco Bonnici expressed his union’s support for the legislation, while cautioning that trained first-aiders in schools remained essential, and that their importance should not be diminished because of the new provisions.

Union representatives Mario Sacco and Isabel Farrugia from the UĦM also expressed approval, arguing that help should be given wherever possible. However, they called for clarity on what would constitute “gross negligence”. There were also calls for greater awareness on what constituted a real and present danger to a person’s life, and suggestions that first aid and firefighting skills be made part of young children’s education.

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