“As a citizen, I was satisfied with the government’s measures to cut unemployment and the deficit as well as the provision of children’s allowance to everyone,” Paul Pace, president of the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses, said. The government’s decision to subsidise young couples for the purchase of their first house was also quite positive, as well as the decision on reviewing the tax bands.

The MUMN is also pleased with the extension of maternity leave, especially since the nursing and midwifery sector mostly employs women, and therefore this was a very positive measure.

The MUMN was quite pleased with the decision in relation to pensioners, as now midwives and nurses can also work and earn their pension at the same time.

On a negative note, Mr Pace said he would have liked the government to take certain measures with regard to public feasts falling on weekends. Measures taken on breast screening should be open not just to women at high risk but to all those women on the waiting list.