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3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 14 FEBRUARY 2024 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Abela told MaltaToday that the ministry and the management at Mater Dei Hospital are looking at a short and a long-term vi- sion to deal with this situation. "The short-term plan is, to discuss together with the medical direction, nursing as well as concerned unions, a solution in ex- isting wards inside Mater Dei," Abela said. He added the long-term plan is to separate gynaecology and obstetrics into distinct sections. "Our objective is always to safe- guard both the physical and mental health of the patient in such a delicate and sensitive time," Abela said. The replies add nothing to comments the ministry had given Times of Malta in August 2022 when the newspaper reported on an incident involving a woman who had miscarried. The ministry had said back then that Mater Dei was "in the process of setting up an early pregnancy unit" where expectant mothers experiencing problems, such as a miscarriage, will be supported in an area separate. But the ministry had also said the logistics, including where to house the unit, were "still being planned". It appears that the planning is still going on a year-and-a-half later. The manner by which miscarriages are handled in hospitals was brought up as far back as 2007 when Mater Dei opened its doors and operations were being transferred from St Luke's Hospital. At the time the government had said that women who suffer a miscarriage will be kept in a separate room once the obstetrics services moved to the new hospital. Nothing of the sort ever hap- pened. In a parliamentary adjournment speech last week, Labour MP Katya De Giovanni shared her personal miscarriage experience from 20 years ago. She argued that women who have miscarried should not be in the same hospital ward as expectant mothers, or women who have just given birth. She described this practice as "cruel" and called for greater awareness on the trauma miscarriage causes to women and their partners. "I spent a year, existing not living and no one could help me," De Giovanni said, adding the country needs to do "much, much more" to address the trauma. She called for a stronger bereavement service provided by mid- wives and the need to speak about miscarriage in pregnancy pre- paratory courses. De Giovanni said the topic should also feature in PSCD classes in schools and called for better training of professionals in the way they deliver the bad news. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The group of six youths were released on bail after entering a not guilty plea to charges relat- ing to a brutal assault during the carnival celebrations in Floriana that left a 16-year-old boy with grievous knife wounds to his face and torn ligaments. Inspectors Daryl Borg, Ste- phen Gulia and Shaun Pawney, assisted by prosecutor Kenneth Camilleri, arraigned the group of girls aged between 14 and 17, to- gether with a 20 year-old woman and a 14-year-old male, before Magistrate Joe Mifsud on Tues- day, on serious criminal charges which include grievous bodily harm and theft aggravated by vi- olence. The defendants are from Gzira, Valletta, Paola and Zurrieq. As the arraignment got under- way, Magistrate Mifsud imposed a ban on the publication of five of the defendants, as they are mi- nors. The only accused old enough to be identified in the press is Aicha Mariah, 20 from Paola, who is additionally charged with aggravated theft, carrying a knife in public without a licence and recidivism. The magistrate asked Inspec- tor Stephen Gulia to explain why the group was being arraigned under arrest. The inspector told the court that at around 7:00pm on February 10, police officers had been dispatched to respond to a report of an ongoing fight in Floriana. They found a boy on the ground, with knife wounds to his face and hands, the ligaments to his hands having been torn as a result of the blows he suffered. The boy told the police that he had been surrounded by around six youths, beaten up and robbed. He recognised one of his assail- ants as the male defendant. Fur- ther investigations established the identities of the rest of the group. The magistrate interrupted the inspector, pointing out that in order for the 14-year-old to be charged the prosecution must prove "mischievous discretion" - effectively full awareness of the evil of the criminal act. "There was, and more than that," inspector Gulia replied, adding that the boy had also erased the contents of his mobile phone before it was seized by the police. The magistrate, in what ap- peared to be an attempt to relieve the tense atmosphere, then asked the 14-year-old which football team he supported. "Juventus," replied the youth, to laughter in the courtroom, as the magistrate is well-known to be a supporter of the Turin-based team. When some of the defendants told the magistrate that they were not in school, the magistrate urged them to continue their schooling, telling them that they were "still in time." When one of the girls, replying to a question from the magis- trate, said that she was a student at a respected Church school and would soon start her mock O-Levels, Mifsud told her to sit down, assuring her that she would be walking out of court today. All of the defendants pleaded not guilty. The defence request- ed bail. After brief perfunctory bail submissions, the magistrate de- clared that he would be releasing the defendants from arrest and would issue a protection order in favour of the victim. "Fourteen year-olds have no place in prison. One of them is doing her mocks... I understand that they need a telling-off, but not prison," Mifsud said. The defendants were released on bail, which was secured by a personal guarantee of €2,000. "If you breach your bail conditions your mother will have to pay €2,000," the magistrate explained to the defendants. They are also required to observe a curfew be- tween 10:00pm and 6:00am and sign a bail book once a week. Next to no details emerged about the actual incident dur- ing today's arraignment, but in- formed sources told MaltaToday that the group had surrounded a 16-year-old former boyfriend of one of the girls at the gardens near the Malta Memorial in Flo- riana and assaulted him, with the 20-year-old suspect alleged- ly holding a knife to the victim's neck. The attack is believed to have been prompted by an argu- ment. Outside the courtroom, Ma- riah swore at Inspector Gulia, who immediately returned to the courtroom to inform the magis- trate of this. Mifsud replied that he hadn't heard it himself. Inspector Lydon Zammit, who had been observing the arraign- ment and who happened to be present in the corridor, backed up his colleague and remonstrat- ed with the magistrate, insisting that he had also seen it happen. But for his efforts, Zammit only earned himself an admonition for not being correctly dressed, with the magistrate ordering him to leave the courtroom or be found in contempt of court. "This is my courtroom and I de- cide!" Mifsud said. The various defendants are be- ing represented by lawyers Ish- mael Psaila, Dunstan Camilleri. Franco Debono, Francesca Zarb and Adriana Zammit. The compilation of evidence will now continue before the court of magistrates, differently presided. Magistrate released the defendants from arrest, issued a protection order in favour of the victim "Fourteen year- olds have no place in prison. One of them is doing her mocks... I understand that they need a telling-off, but not prison." Long-term plan is to separate gynaecology and obstetrics