Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525500
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 AUGUST 2024 NEWS MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Public health service to create national genomic databank as tests grow to 3,500 PA set to approve boulders to protect Veccja cave MALTA'S public health service is carrying out market research for a national genomic record system that will track and analyse the fam- ily pedigrees of resident patients. The cloud-hosted system will replace current records systems to allow the national health ser- vice to have a robust set-up for geneticists, biomedical scientists and healthcare professionals to track data on inherited diseases, amongst other needs. Genetic testing has seen an expo- nential surge in requests to around 3,500 a year, which is expected to keep growing with the advance- ment of genomic technologies and genomic literacy. The highly specialised, multidis- ciplinary environment requires efficient communication between the various healthcare profession- als involved, but currently it is still largely paper-based. The NHS wants a cloud-based system that can streamline fam- ily history data, with subsequent merges of different families if these are found to be related and gener- ating automatic disease suggestion based on phenotyping informa- tion as well as through algorithms mapping cancer risk. Patient questionnaires will be administered remotely via GD- PR-compliant mobile app or a pa- tient web portal, with answers of the questionnaire feeding into the pedigree-generating algorithm. The two-way sharing of patient and family history and genetic data will be essential for the pro- vision of a high-quality service, by integrating this data with existing hospital information systems. Mater Dei Hospital, the main public hospital, is the national co- ordination hub with the 24 exist- ing European Reference Networks for rare diseases. Lab services pro- vided testing for a vast repertoire of hereditary diseases, such as thal- assaemias and haemoglobinopa- thies, cystic fibrosis, gangliosidosis and other metabolic disorders, he- reditary cancer syndromes and he- reditary cardiovascular conditions. The World Health Organization (WHO) consistently ranks Malta's health care service amongst the top nations worldwide, and the island's different administrations have made national healthcare a cardinal social pillar that is jeal- ously guarded, at no charge to the patient at the point of delivery. THE Planning Authority is set to approve the construction of a rock revetment along the exist- ing friable cliff-face at the Għar Tal-Veċċja in St Paul's Bay. The revetment is needed to pro- tect the area from further coastal erosion and prevent the possible collapse of Triq Stella Maris. But two set of staircases which provided access to swimming platforms, included in the pre- vious plans, have been removed from the latest designs. According to the Public Works Department architect, the pro- posed stairs have been removed in view of the safety hazard to us- ers, citing the Wave Overtopping Manual, widely used in the design of coastal engineering structures. Works will also include the re- surfacing of the existing paved ar- ea along the coast, a small carpark at the end of Trejqet il-Veċċja, and the demolition of an aban- doned cesspit along the coast in Triq Stella Maris. The works were granted the go- ahead of the Environment and Resources Authority, which had originally objected to the original plans which would have oblite- rated the Veċċja cave, which is scheduled as an Area of Ecolog- ical Importance and an Area of High Landscape Value. Subsequently, plans were changed to ensure that the boul- der scree will not cover the cave, while still protecting the fore- shore from further erosion by aiding the waves to break before reaching land. A case officer is now also recommending the works and a final decision by the PA's Planning Commission is due on 3 September. The case officer concluded that that the project will not have a negative visual impact, and that it raises "no particular heritage and environmental concerns." A project statement presented in 2023 warned that wave ac- tion from north-eastern storms was damaging the existing in- frastructure along this stretch of coastline. "The combination of friable rock formation and wave action are posing a significant threat on buildings built near the coast, which now find themselves on the edge of the cliff face and in danger of toppling over due to the scour at the toe of the cliff." According to the same docu- ment the cave is composed of very friable upper-coralline lime- stone. The attenuation of wave action by erecting the boulders would decrease the rate of erosion on the cave during severe storms, increasing the safety of third-par- ty properties and the road sitting directly over the cave, "which are at risk of collapsing if the cave erodes further into the sea." Public safety concerns increased in 2016 when a nine-year-old girl was badly injured after being hit by falling rocks. The plans also come in the wake of an onslaught of construction activity in the area, which includ- ed a permit issued in 2019 for the development of 24 dwelling units and two offices with underlying garages, constructed on seven levels above the street level and three levels below. An application for a nine-storey hotel on an existing terrace over- looking the bay was withdrawn last year after the Environment and Resources Authority had ex- pressed concern on the proposed excavation works near the coastal cliffs and cave. Exponential rise in genetic tests for hereditary diseases, cancer and cardiovascular conditions Stairs providing access to swimmers included in previous plans (top) have been omitted from latest plans (above) amidst safety concerns