Labour Party MPs Katya De Giovanni and Romilda Zarb spoke in parliament on Tuesday about the importance of screening for cancer, as well as raising awareness about mental health.

De Giovanni spoke about her mother’s experience with being diagnosed with breast cancer. She said that her mother was a teacher who had to stop working for three years while undergoing treatment, which she said in turn also impacted the family’s finances.

The MP emphasised that people need to keep talking about breast cancer and raising awareness, as she spoke about how prevention is extremely important, and urged people to get tested and screened, noting that discovering breast cancer early is significant.

Zarb said that De Giovanni’s experience is one which leaves a mark on all those who hear it, as she continued that such stories make people more conscious, more human, and remind them that there is a person and their family behind every statistic.

“Pink October began being celebrated around 40 years ago, and today we are seeing how many countries celebrate this awareness campaign… This is necessary because raising awareness about prevention is essential,” she said.

She spoke about the government’s breast cancer screening programme and how it is to be extended to offer the service to younger women, as she encouraged more women to make use of the service. She said that it is important to recognise the need for regular screening and a healthy lifestyle, as she commented that each test is in turning helping someone safeguard their life.

Zarb remarked that people need to come forward and get screened, as she added that she herself is going to get screened for the first time after being encouraged by De Giovanni and coworkers.

She also spoke about mental health, noting that October is a month which is also used to put a focus on the importance of mental health and inclusion.

The MP remarked that mental health is “not just a medical question, but a human and social one”.

Referring to a quote by Lydia Abela, Zarb said that getting a mental health checkup is something which should be normalised in the same way as a standard checkup one would get with a doctor.

Zarb spoke of how social media is directly impacting the mental health of the youth, as she said excessive use of social media can lead to anxiety and feelings of isolation. She commented that the government is considering ways to restrict use of social media by children as a means of safeguarding them, and added that while parents want their children to be intelligent, they also want them to be able to relax as well as show empathy and understand their emotions.

She concluded by saying that mental health is not about weakness or shame, but rather about dialogue. “We need to build spaces of respect and solidarity… Not just through words, but through action… We need to establish systems which do not leave anyone behind or by themselves.”