Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/828624
maltatoday, FRIDAY, 26 MAY 2017 News 9 MALTA'S President, Marie Lou- ise Coleiro Preca, has called for stronger synergies between civil society and national authori- ties to ensure that the necessary and relevant policies are imple- mented in order to safeguard the earliest possible detection and treatment of maternity-related mental illness. Speaking at the Maternal Mental Health Conference, enti- tled 'Breaking down barriers to seeking help during pregnancy and the postpartum', the Presi- dent said that early detection of depression and other condi- tions must be ensured and that "mothers should know that there is light at the end of the tunnel." "Pregnant women should be screened at their first appoint- ment, and throughout their pregnancy. Early effective inter- ventions, and interdisciplinary action is needed, and pregnant women and mothers in the post- partum period can, and should, be screened for maternal mental health disorders," she said. Coleiro Preca referred to indi- cators from the World Health Organisation which state that 10% of all pregnant women, and 13% of women who have just given birth, experience a mental health disorder, particularly de- pression. "These indicators are even more alarming in developing countries, where over 15% of women during pregnancy, and 19% of women, after child birth, are reported to experience de- pression," Coleiro Preca said. She also quoted research which shows that 50% to 75% of moth- ers with mental health issues are not detected, despite the fact that pregnancy and postpartum is a period characterised by high contact with healthcare profes- sionals. The President added that achieving the healthy develop- ment of families and commu- nities was at the heart of the United Nations' Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Develop- ment Goals, particularly SDG 3 which focuses on ensuring holistic health, and sustainable wellbeing for all the people of the world. "The mental and physical health of mothers is definitely the cornerstone of stronger families, and it is also essential to ensure the wellbeing of soci- ety," the President said. Coleiro Preca said that it was the time to push for relevant directives within the European Union aimed at further high- lighting the need for a holistic strategy and action plan on ma- ternal mental health. "In this way, the authorities of member states will be bound to act," she said. The President urged all women to speak about the stress and the challenges of motherhood. "Reaching for help, when we need it, should not be seen as a sign of weakness. It is often, one of the most courageous things we can do. Sharing, connecting, and building honest and open relationships are crucial for mental wellbeing," she said. President urges early screening of pregnant women in bid to prevent maternal mental health disorders Couple ordered to repay €93,000 borrowed from Irish bar owner A couple have been ordered to repay €93,000 they had borrowed from a bar owner to finance business projects that never materialised. John McCormack, formerly the owner of McCormack Bar, had filed legal proceed- ings against Robert and Jane Bell in 2010 to recover a total of €174,000. McCormack had met the Bells when he moved to Mal- ta and set up the "McCor- mack" bar in St Paul's Bay. The couple had asked him to lend them cash to set up a business – initially a gym in the locality, but which later changed to managing a hotel in Cyprus. The bar owner claimed to have allowed Robert and Jane Bell to borrow over €174,000 from him in a number of small loans. Those transac- tions which he gave the court documentary evidence of were: two loans of €12,000 each in 2008 for the gym/ hotel business idea, €450 for vehicle repairs, another €23,500 loan in 2009 for an unspecified purpose, a fur- ther €4,000 in 2010, €14,900 in cash withdrawn from his Irish bank account between November 2009 and March 2010, €10,000 transferred directly to Jane Bell's bank account in February 2010, followed a month later by another transfer of €11,179 and a final money transfer of €4,823 in August that year. McCormack had travelled to Ireland to withdraw cash, which he had then handed over to the defendants, the court observed. Judge Anna Felice, presid- ing the First Hall of the Civil Court observed that the de- fendants are also the subject of criminal investigations af- ter allegedly selling a BMW, which McCormack's had en- trusted to them, without his authorisation by falsifying his signature. So much money was given to the couple that the Irish- man was left unable to keep his bar in business and had to close it down. McCor- mack ended up borrowing €15,000 himself from family members, to be able to stay in Malta. The Irishman went on to file a number of precaution- ary warrants over the de- fendants' property in Malta. The court upheld Mc- Cormack's claim, however reducing the amount to €93,052, after noting that the rest of the alleged sum bor- rowed was made up of cash loans and stock allegedly taken by the defendants for which McCormack had no documentary evidence. The court ordered that the costs of the case were to be borne by the defendants.