In his reply to a parliamentary question by MP Evarist Bartolo, Health Minister Dr Joseph Cassar revealed that between 1 January 2008 and 30 September 2012, 668 cases of alcohol poisoning were admitted to hospital. This is of great concern to The Sense Group (TSG) and, I am sure, the Maltese public, especially parents.

These statistics reinforce TSG’s commitment to continue embarking on educational campaigns, as it has been doing since 1997. The current campaign for www.drinkawaremalta.com reaches its peak in the weeks leading up to the festive season.

The public obviously wants to be more knowledgeable about avoiding alcohol abuse because, since our campaign started in early October, thousands have visited the website www.drinkawaremalta.com. This bodes well for future educational initiatives whether taken up by The Sense Group or other authorities.

We also feel that parents’ role and the responsibility of those serving alcohol to their customers are becoming even more crucial. The Sense Group invites them to take note of its positive messages and information to help reduce such negative statistics in the coming years.

Ray Grech

Director General

The Sense Group