President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has harshly criticised what she describes as "malicious and obscene lies" propagated this week by a Labour Party candidate who took to Facebook to ridicule the presidency, the Malta Community Chest Fund (MCCF) and called on people to boycott the annual L-Istrina fund-raising marathon because, it was claimed, funds raised would be going to "illegal immigrants".

In an interview with this newspaper, Mrs Coleiro Preca specified that "the issue of immigration, and in this particular case racism, have absolutely nothing to do with L-Istrina". She also made it clear that no MCCF funds are being earmarked for the integration of migrants resident in Malta as has been erroneously claimed. That area, she explains, is handled exclusively by the government, which has EU funds at its disposal for such efforts.

"It is very disappointing that there are people in this country who, out of ignorance and a lack of information, attempt to take advantage and mislead people by obscenely and directly attacking those who are vulnerable and whose very lives depend on funds raised by the MCCF."

While not dignifying the particular individual with a direct reply, but obviously concerned by the stream of support the racist sentiments have elicited, the President warned that such statements are directly endangering the lives of many Maltese people.

As she explains, "The MCCF is the only national fund that gives financial support to Maltese and Gozitans to undergo specialised chemotherapy and treatments for rare or chronic diseases such as Hepatitis C.

"As such, if, God forbid, L-Istrina is not a success this year, that will have a drastic effect on those people whose lives we are trying to save.  Such an eventuality will affect those people, and their families, who we are helping in their greatest moment of need, when they are suffering and their lives and families are in a state of turmoil, and who desperately need help to be cured or at least to improve their quality of life in their darkest hours.

"I am convinced that the vast majority of Maltese and Gozitan people understand this."

The spectre of cancer is clearly an issue that the President has taken to heart, and she highlights the alarming increases in the disease in Malta.

"Cancer does not choose people and it can affect anyone. And, given the rate at which the incidence of cancer is growing, we need to seriously look at how it is affecting society, and how we can better help those affected."

She cites local and international expert reports that have unequivocally found that the prevalence of cancer has grown by 25 per cent over the last 25 years. She also underscores how over the last 10 years, according to Malta's national cancer register, cancer rates among Maltese males have increased by 38 per cent and among females by 53 per cent.

"I admit that yes, immigration is a controversial issue - I am not a racist, but I too am concerned. This issue, however, has nothing at all to do with L-Istrina and God forbid the Maltese people are led astray by remarks such as those made this week.

"What we are talking about here are life and death issues for so many Maltese - people who we are trying to give a fighting chance to beat cancer because while the incidence of cancer has grown over recent years, science and medicine have also made such great strides that recovery rates have grown significantly. This, however, comes at no small monetary cost.

"As such, when we play with L-Istrina and give out malicious misinformation, the attack is not only on the presidency and the MCCF, but they are also literally attacking the people we are helping through their most dire and vulnerable times of their lives.

"We are talking about a substantial segment of Maltese and Gozitan society that do not have a voice. And, by trying to attack me and with scaremongering based on complete ignorance and a lack of information, they are playing with people's lives. It's someone else today but tomorrow it could be you.

"L-Istrina is about saving lives of Maltese and Gozitans and if we cannot save those lives despite our best efforts, our aim is to give them a better quality of life when they are at their most vulnerable, and to provide some peace of mind for their families, families that are so worried and who would move heaven and earth if possible to help their loved ones.

"Helping these people is what L-Istrina is all about, and that is what the MCCF is about."

And that is why, according to the President, the situation is being studied by her and her team in fine detail - from the social, financial, medical and other perspectives. The situation is, according to the President, growing increasingly concerning: in the two years between 2010 and 2012, according to statistics, new cases of cancer among Maltese men amounted to 944 and among Maltese women to 964.

MCCF running at a deficit

The MCCF, Mrs Coleiro Preca explains, is running at a deficit - paying out money for treatments and services from funds it is still to receive - but the situation is such that there is no other option, given the President's unswerving determination to give everyone a fighting chance to beat the scourge of cancer, or to, at the very least, alleviate the suffering of those who are beyond cure.

And if all else fails, she says she is ready to go door-to-door "to seek out the genuine Maltese in their homes, those people who, like me, are ready and willing to contribute to help these people".

The costs attached to some treatments are, in fact, staggering.

As Mrs Coleiro Pace explains, "Just this week I discussed Hepatitis C with experts. A cure has been found and we now have a chance to save those who could not be saved before. With this cure, there is a 90 per cent chance of recovery, but do you know how much it costs? €50,000 to €100,000 per patient.

"We need to give these people and their families a chance to get back on their feet and return to work, and this is what we will do in the coming months - and not be misled by people focusing on issues that detract from this life and death situation being faced by so many among us.

"I am convinced the Maltese and Gozitan people in their absolute majority, when faced with such a choice, will stand shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Maltese to help them.

"But the fact of the matter is that, on average, €230,000 is required each and every month. €200,000 is spent on specialised chemotherapy or medicines such as that for the treatment of Hepatitis C. If that amount grows, as it seems it will, according to oncologists' forecasts, we will need to collect even more than ever to save lives and to give people a better quality of life when they are suffering."

Along such lines, Mrs Coleiro Preca is working on other options to raise the direly-needed funds, and further tapping the already generous business sector, which donates several thousands of euros for the treatment of chronic diseases, will be crucial.

As such, she has warmly welcomed this week's news that businesses' donations to L-Istrina this year, those over €2,000, will, for the first time, be tax deductable.

"Many EU countries have similar systems in place and this, for Malta, is a great step forward in the right direction."

She is also looking at other ways to raise funds, such as, for example, opening up San Anton Palace's State Rooms for viewing to Maltese and tourists alike. The Office of the President is currently working on a number of basics related to opening up the Palace to visitors on a regular basis. 

As the President observes, "What better way to utilise such heritage?  Not only for people to better enjoy it, but to actually put it to use to save Maltese lives."

MCCF assistance 'automatic'

Today, the help that the MCCF delivers has become an automatic process, the President explains. "When a person is diagnosed and is prescribed treatment the government is unable to provide, that is where the MCCF's assistance kicks in automatically - the specialist provide the patient with a referral note to the MCCF to provide that particular medicine or treatment.

"That is why I say that the MCCF is the only national fund of this sort that we have, and that it has become an extension to social public provision. What I have to say to those who would attack the MCCF in such an unfounded way is that 'if not the MCCF, who else will do it, who else will help these people who desperately need treatment and medication?'

"There are many NGOs in the sector and everyone does their own bit of very important work. Some provide lodging, others some palliative care, some, like the Hospice Movement, provide palliative care and aftercare."

She also cites the sterling work of the Karl Vella Foundation, which works to reduce the pressure on families in situations when an unexpected and serious illness hits a family, by being there for the children to ensure they do not feel alone or forgotten, and by providing a means for them to remain on-track educationally as well.

The President's visit to London in September, where she met some 40 Maltese patients undergoing treatment in London, convinced her all the more of the need to do more for the families, and not just the patients, affected by serious illness.

"For example," she explains, "patients receiving treatment abroad and their relatives are truly thankful for all that is being done for them, but we have also understood that patients' families need psycho-social support as they are in a bad way - they need the morale and courage to help their fathers, mothers or siblings fight their illnesses. But for that you need the help of other professionals.

"As such, the MCCF is in the process of engaging such psycho-social professionals to be on-the-spot with patients and their relatives in the UK. In addition, we give financial support to families of patients in the UK to cover their basic needs such as lodging and air fares."

She explains how the MCCF has devised a new system to meet these needs. While such expenses were once refunded against receipts presented, a new system is to be introduced that would see such expenses being paid beforehand. As matters stand, many families resort to borrowing money to support their trips to give the much-needed moral support to their immediate family members.

But, she stresses, the system will be absolutely transparent and people will be fully accountable for the expenses claimed.

This, she says, will go a long way toward providing that extra peace of mind for patients that is so crucial to the healing process.

Children in such situations, whose parents or siblings are seriously ill, also suffer significant psychological trauma and run the risk of slowly becoming marginalised - they can begin underperforming at school and end up being unemployable in the future and risk falling into the poverty trap later on in life. 

She adds, "We need to be careful and plan things in a holistic way, which is why I have met with all the organisations involved in cancer care to create a network where all the organisations can maintain their own identities but which will see everyone working together so as to not duplicate the good work they do separately, to pool human and financial resources, and to ensure that any gaps in the services available are filled so that patients and their families are given a total service."