Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1356256
3 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 MARCH 2021 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications Malta Enteprise retainer I refer to the opinion piece entitled "Casting the First Stone" written by Saviour Balzan, published in MaltaTo- day on Sunday 21 March 2021. This opinion piece contains remarks in my regard which are false and aimed solely at tarnishing my reputation. Sav- iour Balzan states that Guido de Mar- co & Associates is benefitting from a €70,000 retainer from Malta Enterprise. Not true. Guido de Marco & Associates is one of a number of law firms offering legal services to Malta Enterprise and it does so through the provision of two lawyers who attend on a regular basis. For this, the firm receives a remunera- tion of €10,000 a year. Contrary to the impression that Mr Balzan tried to give, Malta Enterprise never sought legal advice from Guido de Marco & Associates, and Guido de Mar- co & Associates never gave Malta Enter- prise any legal advice or assistance, on any issues concerning Allied Group and therefore any allegations, as those made by Saviour Balzan in his opinion piece, are gratuitous, uncalled for and false. It is pertinent to point out that be- tween 2008 and 2013, I personally stopped practising as a lawyer as I formed part of the Gonzi cabinet. It is moreover also pertinent to point out that I personally have not provided any legal services to Malta Enterprise since 2008 to date. Stating that I had a conflict of interest on a matter I was never even involved in is therefore another false allegation by Mr Balzan in my regards. It is rich however for Mr Balzan to speak of conflict of interest when he and his companies have gained so much financially from the Muscat adminis- trations. Perhaps Mr Balzan, who it was reported received phone calls from Mr Keith Schembri at 1am, should have written an article or an opinion piece of the part he wittingly or unwittingly played in keeping Mr Keith Schembri and his corrupt circle of friends, shield- ed from justice. All while receiving handsome sum of monies from the taxpayers' coffers. Mario de Marco, MP Valletta Parkinson's research PARKINSON'S disease (PD) is a neu- rodegenerative disorder that affects close to 1% of the population of Malta with a surge expected in the coming years due to an increase in the aged population. PD develops as a result of damage to brain cells that produce dopa- mine, which is a chemical that helps the control of movement. Main symptoms of the condi- tion have a negative impact on the quality of life, and include tremor, stiffness, slowness of movement, impaired balance and coordination. Research I carried out as part of my MSc degree at Sheffield Hallam University shows that physiothera- pists in Malta make use of backward walking to treat Maltese patients with PD. The intervention is also used for other neurological conditions and it is almost never used on its own, rather it is used as part of a walking training programme. The study findings were based on a focus group done on physiother- apists working at the Neurological Rehabilitation Unit at Karin Grech Hospital. The universal treatment strategy for patients with PD has been for- ward walking, and this is expected given that it is the natural type of movement in humans. Although future research is war- ranted, backward walking is thought to improve movement because it stimulates the use of brain cells that are not damaged in PD. Nonetheless, backward walking is a difficult intervention for patients to understand and execute and therefore it should ideally be prac- ticed under the supervision of the physiotherapist at the clinic. The research study was supported by the Tertiary Education Scholar- ships Scheme. Enrica Spiteri Via email