Fibromyalgia Should Be Considered A Disability, PL MP Urges: ‘Stop Labelling Sufferers As Lazy Or Attention-Seekers’
Labour MP Randolph Debattista has called for fibromyalgia, an invisible condition that involves chronic muscle pain, to be recognised as a disability.
Addressing Parliament, Debattista noted that this classification will see fibromyalgia sufferers qualify for more aid, such as a Blue Badge.
“They need more aid to access other medicines and services, including medical cannabis, as well as more help in terms of leave and sick leave, and their employers need aid to help them work from home.
“I think the time has come to understand this condition better and help these people out more. Instead of labelling them as lazy or attention-seeking, we should seek to understand what they’re going through so we can help them as a society.”
The ME, CFS and Fibromyalgia Alliance, Malta’s main activist group for people suffering from invisible chronic conditions, has long called for fibromyalgia and ME to be recognsied as disabilities.
A poem written by a Maltese fibromyalgia sufferer as part of a recent awareness campaign
Last year, the Alliance warned that many sufferers are unable to afford medication, vitamins and proper nutrition to help alleviate their symptoms, and that some are stuck in abusive relationships due to a lack of financial freedom.
Debattista said that while there has been a lot of progress in recent years, such as the setting up of a fibromyalgia clinic at the Floriana health centre and the introduction of three free medications to the Pharmacy of Your Choice scheme, more work needs to be done.
Countries like the UK, Israel and Canada, he noted, have already started recognising fibromyalgia as a disability and the time has come for Malta to consider doing likewise.
Should Malta recognise fibromyalgia as a disability?
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