The Malta College of Family Doctors (MCFD) is “encouraging the national authorities to prepare adequately for the new scholastic year.”

In a statement is said highlighted that school children have in the past two years “have experienced changes in the quality and quantity of teaching, whilst diligently they wore masks, abided to their bubbles and kept socially distant from their larger group of friends.”

This year, given that a substantial number of teenage school children are vaccinated, they deserve to have their educational opportunities increased, it said.

The MCFD said that “whilst understanding the difficulty of the current Covid-19 situation, the MCFD sees it as opportune that a number, though not all, of the educational experiences of the years previous to the pandemic can be offered to vaccinated schoolchildren.”

It explained that these include educational experiences that enrich their extra-curricular portfolio and open them to possible career opportunities.

The MCFD went on to say that it has taken note of the media statements of family doctor Dr Jean Karl Soler and of a number of hospital-based colleges.

The organisation said that it would like to clarify that “Dr Jean Karl Soler was acting on his personal behalf whereas the MCFD has consistently encouraged citizens to follow the instructions and recommendations of the medical community spearheaded by the Superintendence of Public Health to control the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. On the other hand, it is disappointed that a scientific debate cannot be tolerated by some and condemns the disrespectful statements of a few posted on social media.”

The MCFD also applauded the substantial voluntary uptake of the Covid-19 vaccine that reflects the nationwide efforts, through public clinics and private family doctors, to vaccinate as many people as possible.

It encouraged those elderly who are not yet vaccinated to come forward “as the vaccine is highly effective in this age group to prevent hospitalisation and death.”

The MCFD said that it has published a ‘Self-Care’ guide about influenza, common cold and COVID-19 for the general public.

Self-care means treating mild illnesses at home, using rest, nutrition, and sometimes over-the-counter medicines. The documents can be viewed and downloaded at the link: https://mcfd.org.mt/generalpublic/selfcare

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