Brussels plans could transform Maltese healthcare services

Maltese patients who have been waiting for an operation at a government hospital for years might soon be able to resolve their problem by having the same operation done in another EU member state and get reimbursed through the Maltese healthcare system.

According to a new proposal, approved yesterday by the EU executive in Brussels, all EU citizens will be able to shop around Europe for the best healthcare available.

However, to come into force, the proposal will first have to get the green light from EU governments and the European Parliament, something which won't be easy as many member states fear added burdens on their national healthcare system and a rise in costs.

Hospital waiting lists in Malta are thought to be very long and are considered to be one of the major problems facing Malta's healthcare system.

Social Policy Minister John Dalli recently called the prevailing situation "scandalous" prompting an immediate reaction from former Health Minister Louis Deguara, who described Mr Dalli's claims as "simplistic and reflecting a poor knowledge of the real reasons behind the problem".

Under the new proposals, patients will not have to seek prior authorisation from their national health services before looking for treatment abroad, as is the case now.

Only in the case of very expensive treatments will prior consent be required.

Member states will have the right to introduce the principle of prior consent if there is a huge surge in the number of patients who travel abroad, the Commission said.

The plan stipulates that costs will only be reimbursed in line with what would have been incurred if the treatment had been carried out at home.

The package includes measures to facilitate cross-border healthcare, such as plans to make it easier for patients who receive a prescription abroad to receive the prescribed medication at home.

Medical records should also be made available abroad, with protection of the data guaranteed. National contact points will be set up in member states to ensure that patients have access to information on cross-border healthcare and systems will be put in place to guarantee compensation for patients if something goes wrong.

According to Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou, Brussels does not expect a huge surge in health tourism.

She said only an average of one per cent of the aggregated health budget of EU member states is spent on reimbursing costs incurred abroad.

The proposal follows several rulings at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) between 1998 and 2005 that confirmed that the EU's founding treaty gives individual patients the right to seek healthcare in other member states.