More than 300 patients were sent abroad by the government for specialised medical treatment last year, at a cost of €1.7 million.

Statistics show such patients have been gradually rising, from 279 in 2008 to 314 last year.

Health Minister Joe Cassar yesterday attributed the steady increase to advances in medical technology, which allowed doctors to identify – and treat – conditions that would have taken much longer to diagnose just a few years ago.

Malta has a long-standing agreement with the UK whereby 180 patients are sent there for specialised medical care every year. The Maltese government pays for any additional people who need treatment in Britain. Maltese patients will soon have access to medical services in hospitals in the Italian regions of Lombardy, Tuscany and Sicily, with an agreement on overseas care in those regions set to come into force this September.

Dr Cassar used a press conference yesterday to explain the details of Malta’s overseas treatment system.

Eligibility was determined by a specialised Treatment Abroad Advisory Committee, composed of medical experts and a patient representative and chaired by Natasha Muscat Azzopardi, the minister explained yesterday.

Committee members use a list of medical conditions eligible for overseas treatment, which tend to be highly specialised and have no local treatment. Patients have their flights, food and hospital stays paid for by the government.

Relatives can also benefit from cheap accommodation at the Puttinu Cares home in the London Borough of Sutton.

Bernard Bonnici is one such beneficiary. He suffers from a rare eye condition, untreatable in Malta, and was sent to the UK for treatment last December on the recommendation of his consultant.

Everything, from airport pickups to an express courier service for special refrigerated medicine he required, was organised for him.

“I’ve already been to the UK eight times since then, and I’ve got nothing but praise for everyone involved,” he said.