MEPS present Hospice Malta with European Citizens’ Prize

Hospice Malta, an NGO that deals with cancer patients, was yesterday awarded the European Parliament’s Citizen's Prize for 2014 in a ceremony hosted by the European Parliament Office at Dar l-Ewropa, Valletta.

The organisation had been jointly nominated for this year's prize by all six Maltese MEPs- Roberta Metsola, Alfred Sant, Miriam Dalli, Therese Comodini Cachia, David Casa and Marlene Mizzi.

The Maltese MEPs decided to nominate this movement “to reward their noble efforts in providing care to so many patients and their families. Hospice values each one of them as unique individuals, irrespective of their race, religion or lifestyle”.

"Hospice ensures the patients’ dignity and provides them with a good quality of life until the very end,” Metsola said during the ceremony. “It also has is own educational initiatives through courses in palliative care.”

Sant pointed out that volunteering has a strong tradition in Europe and goes back to the monasteries to the knights hospitallers.

“Today we speak of a lay and secular social model in which both individual and the state provide such welfare,” he said. “Hospice has gone a step further by professionalising its services and combining that with volunteering.”

“This is a prize for the respite and solidarity you provide to patients and relatives alike,” Comodini Cachia said.

“In politics we can act together to being about positive outcomes. This award is only a token to show how proud we are of your contribution”, Dalli said.

“I am proud we can express this gratitude publicly,” Mizzi said. “Do not thank us, we ought to thank you”.