Parents of babies in intensive care both eligible for special leave, Andy Ellul pledges

Mothers of babies in intensive care, and their partners, will be eligible for special paid leave the government wants to introduce, Andy Ellul said on Thursday.

The parliamentary secretary said no additional financial burden will be placed on employers with the government shouldering the cost of this leave.

Ellul was speaking at a national conference that kicked off the public consultation on government’s proposal to introduce what is being framed as “support leave” for parents of babies receiving treatment at the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (NPICU).

The unit provides intensive care for babies and children until the age of three.

Ellul said special leave entitlement will be for the mother and her partner, as well as same-sex couples.

“The introduction of this leave will not impose new burdens on employers, even though for the country to move forward on family rights, we need everyone to pull the same rope,” he said.

The parliamentary secretary said consultations that have taken place so far indicated that babies receiving treatment at NPICU tend to recover faster when parents spend time with them.

The paid special leave will also mitigate the financial burden on parents who suddenly find themselves having to spend time with their child in hospital, he added.

It was Labour MP Romilda Zarb earlier this year who raised the need for tangible support for parents who have a child in intensive care. In parliament, she recounted her personal experience when her newborn son required treatment at the NPICU.

“You end up in a situation where you have to choose between being present and financial stability,” she had said. “Paternal leave for fathers is only 10 days, and maternity leave is four months,” Zarb had recounted.

She proposed Malta follow the example of the UK, where parents of newborns in neonatal care are granted up to 12 weeks of paid leave.