Reading The Times in mid-air somewhere between Malta and Dublin earlier today, I fear that some of my comments may be misunderstood and misconstrued (World Aids Day: Malta Needs A Good Clinic For Sexually Transmitted Diseases, November 2). I would wish to firmly emphasise the following and reiterate what I had stated in my talk at the Malta Association of Dermatology and Venereology meeting.

The clinic does a superb job in difficult circumstances. The service certainly appears to be underfunded and understaffed and I have heard comments in relation to the housing and lack of privacy for those attending. I would like to clarify that in my experience it is those who dabble outside the genito-urinary clinic, offering little more than a cursory examination and urine test, that do not provide acceptable care, in comparison to the excellent service on offer at the Boffa Hospital. The essence of an STD diagnostic service is a thorough examination and a complete battery of tests, as provided at the Boffa Hospital. Education and information is the key to success, and needs to be actively promoted at every level.

However, good care does require resources and a society that fails to provide the resources will suffer the consequence of increased prevalence of infection and the long-term sequela of infertility and sterility.