By Karl Azzopardi

Copyright maltatoday

A cancer survivor applying for a bank loan was asked the chemotherapy dosage she received when she was five years old, Labour MP Amanda Spiteri Grech said on Wednesday.

Delivering the parliamentary adjournment speech on Wednesday, the MP was speaking about a Private Member’s Bill she plans to table after an ongoing public consultation. The legislation puts an end to what she insists is a discriminatory practice.

Spiteri Grech is suggesting that a person who had cancer at 21 and over will be under no obligation to declare they had a cancer diagnosis after 10 years from the end of treatment. The period will be reduced to five years from the end of treatment for those who had the disease when they were under 21.

Spiteri Grech said people who have survived their cancer diagnosis and have been certified cancer-free for several years, were not being allowed to take a bank loan, or were being offered expensive premiums

She also said people have spoken to her about being afraid to change jobs, out of fear of being asked about their medical history.

“These people are not asking for charity or extra benefits, they want a fair chance,” she said.

Under the proposed legislation medical records would not be made available to third parties after a period set out by law.

The model, albeit slightly different in terms of the set period, is already in force in other European countries like Belgium, France and Italy.

Insisting she does not want to shed a bad light on insurance providers, the Labour MP said everyone from the banks to the patients must be part of the conversation.

“We need to be one voice,” she said.