Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1044434
FOR the third time during this year, Bank of Valletta organ- ised a Blood Donation Drive amongst its employees. This time round, a total number of 50 employees registered to take part. The mobile blood donation unit was stationed next to BOV Centre in Santa Venera, on Friday morning. Those who participated in the blood drive were presented with a small token and choc- olates as a thank you gift. Speaking at the end of the Drive, Charles Azzopardi, Executive PR & Marketing explained the commitment taken up by the Bank to or- ganise such an initiative on a regular basis. "The re- sponse we receive from our employees every time we rely on their support to donate blood, is always encourag- ing and the number of blood bags donated is always on the increase". Alex Aquilina, Director of the National Blood Transfu- sion Service thanked BOV employees for being gen- erous and for responding once again to the constant appeal for donating blood. "We need an average of 50 blood bags a day, thus we never get tired in reminding people on the importance of blood donation. If we do not have an adequate supply of blood, patients suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer might end up hav- ing their medical operations delayed". Anyone interested in mak- ing a blood donation may contact the National Blood Transfusion Service in Pi- età between 8am and 6pm or call on Free Phone 8007 4313. 18 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 OCTOBER 2018 COMMERCIAL MAPFRE Group in Malta joined in the Pink October movement by raising aware- ness amongst its employees and sponsoring the cost of breast screening for all women who work for the company. On Friday 19 October, the In- ternational Breast Cancer day, employees at MAPFRE Mid- dlesea and MAPFRE MSV Life were encouraged to wear pink clothes to raise awareness about this disease. Pink is considered the international symbol of the struggle against this disease. The company's social club added to this incentive by offering out pink muffins against a small donation, which will be topped up by the company and forwarded to Mari- gold Foundation. Breast cancer is the most com- mon type of cancer among women and Malta has one of the highest incidents of breast can- cer in women in Europe. Across Europe, breast cancer accounts for about 15.6% of all cancer- related deaths. However, early diagnosis significantly increases the chances of survivals, and it is therefore essential to undergo mammogram and regular per- sonal checks. For this reason the MAPFRE management in Malta decided to sponsor the costs of breast screening for all women who work for the company. This will allow 186 women across the MAPFRE Malta group to do the screening. It is highly recommended that women self-examine their breasts regularly and consult a doctor should they feel any change. However, some symp- toms might be too small to be de- tected through self-examination and therefore mammograms are highly recommended. Across the MAPFRE Global Group, 26 countries joined to cause, leading to a widespread participation of employees. The MAPFRE Group also helped raise awareness through its on- line platforms. MAPFRE Group sponsors breast cancer screening for employees Discover the future of medical cannabis at the Medical Cannabis World Forum THE Medical Cannabis World Forum is taking place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta on 20 and 21 November. The Forum will be hosting more than 30 speakers from over ten countries including policy makers, doctors, regu- lators, researchers and inter- national executives who will be discussing their vision of the growing Medical Canna- bis field. The main topics of discussion at the conference will be education, research, legislation, business and the regulation of Medical Can- nabis. Nicky Spiteri, Director of the Medical Cannabis World Forum said that the medical cannabis space was one the world's fastest growing indus- tries and the first edition of the Medical Cannabis World Forum will be the ideal place for industry's leaders to meet up and discuss the present and future of medical canna- bis. "It is fitting that Malta will host this forum given that Malta has clearly taken the lead in Europe and is now attracting global leaders to open up operations here," he said. "The response we have had from international play- ers who have either set up in Malta or are planning to do so in the near future has been truly impressive." Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat, who will be speaking at the event, said the following about the opportunity of the medical cannabis in Malta. "This is the future. There is a global race happening in the medical cannabis indus- try and we want to be market leaders." The full list of speaker can be found at https://w w w.med- cannworldforum.com/spea k- ers/ For more information please visit w w w.medcannworldfo- rum.com. Tickets are available on the website w w w.medcannworld- forum.com/buy-tickets/ BOV employees donate blood in third blood drive of the year