In view of certain misunderstandings with regard to the interview with Derek Freedman published in The Times on Monday, which, while factually correct, may have led to conclusions in direct conflict with the speaker's intentions, I wish to confirm the following all of which will find corroboration from the large audience present at the Maltese Association of Dermatology and Venereology meeting on Saturday:

1. Sexually transmitted diseases of all types are on the increase after an apparent lull and this increase is manifest throughout Europe.

2, Malta has many ingredients that can contribute to such an increase namely tourism, a drug and alcohol problem, immigration legal and illegal from countries with a high prevalence of infection.

3. In such a situation the quality of the STD service is crucial with its involvement in education, high quality care and research. It is only this service that manages patients appropriately in comparison to the "physical exam, urine check and antibiotics regimen" that is so frequently practiced, to patients' detriment, by non-specialists in the field.

4. The present staff led by Philip Carabot offer a high quality service performing wonders with the resources available.

5. The fast increasing scale of the problem demands increased support in terms of both funding and specialised staff both medical and nursing if the unit is to cope with present and future workloads in an appropriate and satisfactory manner.

I believe that if we concentrate on the facts, and discuss together what may be needed to improve what is a fine but undeniably under-staffed and under-resourced service built on the hard work and good will of a few, and prepare to deal with the wave of new patients that will seek help in future, then we will be doing a good service to our country.

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