MFPA Newsletter Issue 02/21
Address by President Mr Ben Rizzo
Dear Colleagues,Following the April AGM, where a new Executive Committee was voted to lead MFPA, I am honoured to address you as the new President of the Federation. During that meeting it was also decided to appoint a CEO for MFPA, who will and already is helping the Federation to function more efficiently.
The Council has identified, these last years, that the management structure of MFPA has to be more flexible to respond to the quasi instant replies needed in today’s new telecommunication world. The onus is on the new executive to bring change, as to how the Federation operates, keeping in mind the financial and ethical issues that we as professionals hold dear. The world is moving fast and we must also have protocols in place to respond to these new needs. In the coming months the Council will be asked to participate and decide on how to move forward together.
This year is also the 50th Anniversary of the existence of MFPA. A subcommittee, set for this purpose, has planned and put in motion effective targets and milestones that we should reach. For this to be achieved we have managed to get funds from the Voluntary Organisation Projects Scheme, managed by MCVS, to implement this project. One of the targets is to raise awareness on the role of professionals in helping members of society lead a better life. I look forward to your participation in this project.
Our old way of doing things is changing and we must see this as something positive. We have to follow and draft new beginnings and targets. Some professionals and business might have felt the sting of the pandemic but our education and training will help us to restructure ourselves, our practice and our business.
The opportunity offered by the Covid-19 vaccine will lead to a better, more secure life for us and our families. Hence, I encourage you all to participate and take the vaccine. We must look at the future with new eyes and do our utmost in order to guarantee a better future for us and for our nation.
History of MFPA
An eminent architect in the early 1970s, Mr Roger Degiorgio, shared his idea of setting up a federation for professional organisations, with Mr John Chadwick, then Director of the Commonwealth Foundation. The latter immediately gave his full support to this concept and on 19 February 1971, the Malta Federation of Professional Bodies was born, changing its name to Malta Federation of Professional Associations (MFPA) in 1999. It was founded by seven members, five of which are still active today: Kamra tal-Periti, Dental Association of Malta, Malta Institute of Accountants, Medical Association of Malta and Malta Association of Electrical Engineers, which later joined other engineering disciplines and formed the Chamber of Engineers. The other two founding members, the Economic Society of Malta and the Graduate Teachers Association dissolved a few years later. The late Economist Prof Salvinu Busuttil was the first President of MFPA.With the introduction of more courses at the University of Malta, the professional population in Malta increased, more professional organisations were established and hence the Federation started attracting more members. Today MFPA comprises 17 professional organisations representing approximately 10,000 professionals in Malta. The aims and objectives set in 1971 are still valid today:
● to promote different professions;
● to maintain professional standards;
● to promote inter-professional relationships; and
● to contribute towards the advancement of the interests of society.
Since its foundation, MFPA sought to contribute to the improvement of Maltese society by bringing the professionals’ perspective to authorities, politicians and policy makers. It also participated actively during the period of Malta’s accession in the EU, the Pensions Reform as well as the Professional Qualifications Directive.
One of the roles of the Federation is to bring together different member organisations to discuss topics of general and common interest. This leads to better understanding of different professions and promote interdisciplinary relationships.
The member organisations forming part of the Federation are:
● Association of Podiatrists of Malta (APM)
● Association of Speech-Language Pathologists (ASLP)
● Chamber of Engineers (CoE)
● Dental Association of Malta (DAM)
● Kamra tal-Periti (KTP)
● Malta Association of Occupational Therapists (MAOT)
● Malta Association of Physiotherapists (MAP)
● Malta Association of Professional Conservators and Restorers (MAPCo-Re)
● Malta Association of Social Workers (MASW)
● Malta Association for the Counselling Profession (MACP)
● Malta Chamber of Pharmacists (MCOP)
● Malta Chamber of Psychologists (MCP)
● Malta Institute of Accountants (MIA)
● Malta Veterinary Association (MVA)
● Maltese Association of Youth Workers (MAY)
● Medical Association of Malta (MAM)
● Society of Medical Radiographers (SRM)
The Malta Institute of Accountants
The Malta Institute of Accountants is the voice of the accountancy profession in Malta. Founded in 1965, the MIA has established itself as one of the biggest professional bodies in the country, with a membership exceeding 3,500.Accountancy is a major contributor to Malta’s economic success and the MIA is committed to the improvement of the profession, at par with global standards and in line with the country’s legal framework.
The Institute supports accountants with specialised guidance, technical updates, and training and development opportunities. As an officially recognised professional body, it also carries out specific functions delegated by the state regulator.
Part of the MIA’s mission is to represent the interests of its members with strategic national and international stakeholders as well as with the general public. It also seeks to attract new talent and facilitates the passage of potential candidates into the profession.
The Institute is one of the founding members of the Malta Federation of Professional Associations and remains an active promoter of inter-professional dialogue and cooperation. The MIA’s vision for the evolution of the accountancy profession is rooted in the values of integrity, accountability, innovation, responsibility, excellence, and teamwork.
The Malta Chamber of Pharmacists / Kamra Tal-Ispizjara Ta’Malta
The Malta Chamber of Pharmacists congratulates the MFPA on its 50 year anniversary. Chamber officials have contributed to the proceedings of various MFPA councils throughout the past decade and have held official honorary posts of Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer for several terms of office.The Chamber has a long history of service to the pharmacy profession, having celebrated 120 years of its foundation in 2020, albeit in a very downplayed mode, due to the COVID -19 restrictions.
Subdued celebrations were however, mitigated by Chamber’s commitment to support and guide its members during the pandemic in ensuring uninterrupted provision of pharmaceutical services on the one hand, and securing pharmacist safety on the other. We consider this to have been the best way to celebrate- to demonstrably live up to Chamber’s raison d’etre- to serve, to educate, to protect, both its pharmacists and society.
The Chamber is the national pharmacy and pharmaceutical association and a registered trade union, representing pharmacists in different areas of practice. The Chamber is federated nationally, to the CMTU, holding at present one of the two Vice – President posts; and the Malta Health Network. Internationally, the Chamber is a founder member of the Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association, representing the European Region on the CPA executive; and is an active member of the International Pharmaceutical Federation and the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union.
The many feathers in the Chamber’s cap include pioneering the first healthcare professional CPD programmes; the ongoing implementation of the national POYC scheme ; the development and consolidation of pharmaceutical and other relevant legislation and the evolvement of pharmacy education and practice.
The Chamber looks forward to the achievement of further milestones for the benefit of its members and the pharmacy profession in the service of society.
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