The wife of Maltese doctor Aaron Casha, who died last week of Coronavirus, has been nominated for the European Citizen’s prize on behalf of all Maltese Covid19 frontliners.

The nomination pf Dr Marilyn Casha, who is also a health professional,was submitted by Peter Agius, who contested the MEP election for the PN and is a former head of the European Parliament Office.

"Care-workers locked down for weeks in residential homes, pharmacists infected in their duty to provide essential medicines, hundreds of nurses of doctors leaving their households, quarantined or living in isolation and the health department professionals who track down every case to stop contagion,” Agius said. “These are the heroes of our times. They put our welfare before any other consideration, deserving our utmost gratitude."

In his nomination, Peter Agius said that hundreds of professionals are being represented by Dr Marilyn Casha, a front liner in her own merits, having been affected by Covid-19 and having lost her beloved husband, distinguished medical professor Aaron Casha, also a medical doctor, to the disease.

Agius said that frontliners put their health at risk to help others in the most concrete expression of the value of solidarity and human compassion. "Health care professionals working on the many fronts of the fight against Covid-19, nurses and doctors in primary to intensive care, from public health managers and contact tracing operatives to care workers in homes and pharmacists have, through their commitment and selflessness, been the expression the values of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights in particular the universal values of human dignity and solidarity" he said.

‘I invite all those willing to support this nomination to do so. Let us show our gratitude by nominating our frontliners collectively to Europe’s most distinguished citizen’s award.’

First awarded in 2008, the European Citizen's Prize has recognized projects and initiatives that promote EU values, mutual understanding and facilitate cross-border cooperation. Given this year’s exceptional context, citizens and organisations are encouraged to nominate projects dealing with the fight against the corona virus.

For the first time the European Citizens Prize allows direct nominations by citizens. The prize has been awarded to several distinguished causes in Maltese society. Past winners from Malta include Chris Delicata (International Diabetes Federation - European Region), Rev. Victor Grech, Puttinu Cares, Hospice Malta, Richmond Foundation, Dar il-Kaptan, Għaqda Każini tal-Banda and Bjorn Formosa.