As the country engages in public dialogue on the potential introduction of miscarriage leave, which is nowadays considered as an important aspect of reproductive health rights and part of efforts to promote workplace policies that support employee wellbeing and mental health, UM Researcher Ms Lara Sammut has given her valuable input at the latest public consultation session.
This final consultation meeting, which brought together Members of Parliament from both the Government and Opposition, alongside various social partners, including representatives from the Gozo Regional Committee, included Ms Sammut, Ms Sarah Farrugia, a teacher who shared her personal experience with miscarriage; and Ms Maria Grech Debono, a Systemic Family Psychotherapist based at the Gozo General Hospital.
In fact, Parliamentary Secretary for Social Dialogue Andy Ellul highlighted that, over the past three months, the Government has actively stepped up discussions on this important issue.
Ms Sammut’s keynote speech presented key findings from her doctoral research and highlights the importance of the Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit. It also underscores the relevance of the miscarriage leave policy currently under discussion. The speech emphasises the need for a multidisciplinary approach, particularly the inclusion of radiographers, who are the specialised professionals trained to perform early pregnancy ultrasound scans.
“Awareness around complications in early pregnancy is growing. Plans to establish an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit (EPAU) at Mater Dei Hospital are a positive step forward. However, the unit has not yet been implemented. Currently, women facing early pregnancy issues, such as threatened miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or molar pregnancy, are seen in emergency departments or outpatient clinics. This often results in them waiting alongside women in advanced pregnancy, in labour, or leaving postnatal wards with healthy newborns in their arms. For a woman in the midst of a miscarriage or uncertain diagnosis, this can be deeply distressing”, Ms Sammut clarified during the public consultation.
