Momentum has accused the Government of ”withholding information on the localities of heat-related deaths.”
In a statement, Momentum said that it submitted a Freedom of Information request on the 27th of July, seeking anonymised information on heat-related deaths and hospital admissions, including the localities involved.
It said that rhe request was made to determine whether there is a correlation between heat-related deaths and localities that experienced prolonged power cuts during the extreme heatwave.
Momentum noted that on the 13th of August, ”the Ministry for Health confirmed that 20 deaths recorded between the 20th and 26th of July, at the peak of the heatwave, were directly or indirectly related to heat.”
However, it said that the Ministry did not provide any information on the localities where these deaths occurred. This was during the same period when Malta experienced widespread and prolonged power cuts.
Momentum said it ”specifically requested anonymised information about the locations from where the deceased were last before being admitted to hospital.”
Despite this, Momentum said that last Friday, the Chief Medical Officer ”refused the request, stating that the information is publicly available or will be published within three months.”
Graziella Spiteri, an executive member of Momentum, said, “instead of the Government playing with words on whether the information is available or not or maybe in the future, the government has a duty to be transparent about the public health impact of the heat and the prolonged power cuts had on its citizens.”
Momentum concluded by saying that it is also asking the Government to provide an update on the promised compensation for households affected by the prolonged power interruptions, including how many households have received compensation to date and how much has been paid.
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