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MW 24 January 2018

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maltatoday WEDNESDAY 24 JANUARY 2018 News 6 MASSIMO COSTA A total of 13,343 babies were born in Malta between 2014- 2016, 2,500 of whom were born to non-Maltese mothers. Replying to parliamentary questions by Democratic Party MP Godfrey Farrugia, health minister and deputy Labour Party leader Chris Fearne said that, during the same period, there were an average of 337 premature births a year. Statistics for 2017 are still be- ing validated, Fearne said. A baby is considered to be born prematurely if the birth takes place before the 37th week of pregnancy. Medical literature shows that the major factors behind pre- term births are multiple preg- nancies, IVF, chronic disease in the mother, including high blood-pressure and diabetes, and intra-uterine growth re- tardation in the fetus, the min- ister explained. Congenital abnormalities Fearne said that 393 babies, or 3% of all births, between 2013-2015, had congenital ab- normalities according to the criteria set out by EUROCAT (European Surveillance of Congenital Anomalies). Twelve of these babies were stillbirths, while 14 died in the neonatal period, which is 13,343 babies born between 2014 - 2,500 to foreign mothers 3% of babies born between 2013-2015 had congenital abnormalities TIA RELJIC THE family of the seven- year-old girl Nigerian girl who died at the Dominican Sisters' residence in Zabbar was moved there two years ago from Hal Far, MaltaTo- day has learned. Alfred Grixti, CEO of the Foundation for Social Wel- fare Services, said that the move had been co-ordinated by Agenzija Appogg, but would give no further de- tails. "Investigations are still on- going and it would be uneth- ical to release information on the family at this time," he said. The Dominican Sisters would not comment when contacted, claiming that they did not deal with the family directly and had nothing to do with the case. From what MaltaToday can gather, the family was living independently in the residence offered to them by the Sisters, and not directly under their care. The girl was found dead in the residence in Zabbar on Sunday evening. The cause of death has not yet been certified, the social solidar- ity ministry said yesterday. An inquiry into the case is being led by magistrate Ian Farrugia. tia.reljic@mediatoday.com.mt Authorities mum on death of girl at Dominican Sisters' home KURT SANSONE IT was until the mid-1990s the headquarters of the Labour Party but the majestic building on water's edge, known as Il-Macina, is now a luxurious boutique hotel. The only remnant of its recent political past is a stone carving in one of the room terraces of a ship f lying the Union Jack ac- companied by the date 31 March 1979, Free- dom Day. Originally built by the Knights of Malta in 1554, the Macina was used for the hoisting and lowering of masts onto ships. MaltaToday was given a tour of the re- stored building that up to a few years ago was in a complete state of ruin. The restora- tion took one year to complete and builders had to remove 40 tonnes of debris before the works could start. Macina is derived from macchina, the large crane structure used to hoist and lower the Welcome to the Macina, a building transformed

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