Cancer survivors’ rights

Recently, I have had one or two relatively young cancer survivor clients who related to me the great difficulties and hardship they suffered in being discriminated against when applying for insurance or loans, with their medical history tanking their chances of obtaining long-term deals, even when they’ve been cancer-free for decades.

Only some EU member states have a national ‘right to be forgotten’ laws for cancer survivors. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

It transpired that they were excluded from premium services, received higher fares, penalties, or higher co-payments, and were requested to present a higher amount of paperwork. Furthermore, they were requested to submit to a regular revision of their health status through copies of medical record check-ups and to deliver medical records to the insurer or bank to assess the risks involved.

The recently-adopted final text of the EU Consumer Credits Directive states that EU member states should not allow the use of health data relating to oncological diseases when concluding insurance policies linked to credit agreements if a certain period of time has passed since the treatment ended. Under the new directive, EU countries can establish a suitable time for such a period, which should not exceed 15 years.

The current legislative situation remains fragmented, however, as only some EU member states have a national ‘right to be forgotten’ laws for cancer survivors. To date, France, Spain, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy and Romania have adopted national legislative initiatives to recognise a ‘right to be forgotten’ for cancer survivors while accessing financial credit services.

I think it’s high time for Malta to follow suit and legislate for this particular ‘right to be forgotten’.

Mark Said – Msida

Addicts or traffickers?

The ongoing debate on the government’s White Paper to discuss the method of when and how the courts are to deal with drug addicts and traffickers is turning out to be a non-starter.

Reading comments that are being made day in, day out, against the proposals to increase the legal limit of possession of drugs (up to 500 grams of cannabis, 500 ecstasy pills, 200 grams of heroin or cocaine) will, hopefully, deter the government from imposing its will on the public.

Conclusion: “Say no to drugs,” the professionals tell us. “Help yourself to drugs – cannabis, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy pills,” says the government.

What a joke! Better cry now than when it is too late.

Anthony J. Saliba – St Paul’s Bay