‘A sick joke? Study reveals how M.E. sufferers excluded from welfare system’, Malta Today, 9 October 2011

October 9, 2011


From ‘Malta Today', 9 October 2011 (story by James Debono).

ME is still a ‘contested illness’ which is not accepted as real by all health professionals. The situation is locally aggravated by the fact that the disease is not recognised as a disability by the state.

The World Health Organisation classifies Myalgic Encephalomyelitis as a physical disease. But this condition is not recognised as a disability in Malta.

A study by sociology student Dorothy Cuschieri reveals the frustration felt by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, sufferers who cannot work because of their condition but are not entitled to welfare benefits.

ME sufferers interviewed in a sociology dissertation conducted by Dorothy Cuschieri want the State to recognise their condition as a disability.

Persons affected by ME suffer from profound fatigue and cognitive problems, which do not improve with bed, rest and become worse with physical and mental exertion. There is still no definitive cure for this condition.

The World Health Organisation classifies Myalgic Encephalomyelitis as a physical disease. But this condition is not recognised as a disability in Malta.

Moreover, both locally and internationally, ME is still a ‘contested illness’ which is not accepted as real by all health professionals. The situation is locally aggravated by the fact that the disease is not recognised as a disability by the state.

1 thought on “‘A sick joke? Study reveals how M.E. sufferers excluded from welfare system’, Malta Today, 9 October 2011”

  1. Portugal also has the same problem in non-acceptance of ME/CFS, even although Portugal is a member of the European Union and signatory of the World Heath Organisation.

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