Binge drinking is a “worrying new phenomenon” in Malta, according to the first nationwide check-up on the island’s health system, and must be tackled before it becomes “more prevalent”.
One in 10 young adults aged 15 to 34 reported knocking back six or more drinks on one occasion, exposing a gaping hole that should be urgently addressed by health authorities, according to the main conclusions of the draft Health Systems Performance Assessment – seen by The Sunday Times of Malta.
Contacted for a reaction, Health Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said he was surprised by two results – the rate of binge drinking, and the “very good” grading the island garnered for its consumption of fruit and vegetables.
“We knew binge drinking was an issue, but we didn’t realise to what extent. This clearly shows we have to tackle this problem in a more systematic manner,” Mr Fearne said.
This is the first time that Malta, through the HSPA, has a snapshot of how the island’s health systems are performing when compared to European counterparts, while highlighting areas requiring further improvement.
By measuring a number of performance indicators it took into account various facets of Malta’s health service – its efficiency, level of quality and accessibility to timely and adequate healthcare, its financial status and affordability, user experience, as well as health status indicators, such as life expectancy, mortality, risk factors, and cancer survival rates, among others.
“Doctors first carry out an investigation to diagnose a patient before dispensing treatment. This report does just that – it highlights the health systems’ strengths and weaknesses and helps us map the way forward,” Mr Fearne said, adding that policies had to be driven by evidence.
“Whether good or bad we cannot shy away from acknowledging the problems. In health we have to plan scientifically and long term, away from partisan politics.
“The HSPA is a tool that should be repeated every three years and is something successive administrations will benefit from.”
Mr Fearne said the full report, based on data from 2012, was still in the process of being analysed and should be published in the coming months.
The report used five main indicators as indices for determinants of health, known to impact morbidity and mortality in later life.
Binge drinking, together with the rate of obesity and lack of exercise, dragged down the overall grading for the island’s health determinants to “poor”.
Malta was doing very well on the level of consumption of fruit and vegetables, although this did not provide an indication of what other foods were being wolfed down in general.
The prevalence of smoking seemed well controlled and the report said the island “seemed to be winning the battle against smoking” when compared to its European peers.
The report’s X-ray on the health status of individuals and the population covered three components: health conditions, health function (including consequences of diseases, injuries and activity limitations), and the level of well-being.
Malta received a “good” mark for the overall assessment of its health status and compared favourably with the EU in all except two of the 11 indicators used.
“This is a positive indictment of Malta’s health status which has continued to improve over the past few years,” according to the report.
The only exceptions are the incidence of type 1 diabetes in children – a situation that is deteriorating worldwide in recent years; and infant mortality rate – Malta does not terminate pregnancies if a congenital anomaly is uncovered during the pregnancy.
And, although the indicators for the incidence of TB and HIV incidence are still acceptable, the report showed signs of deterioration, which had to be monitored closely.
Hospital bed shortage
Malta lacks about 125 curative hospital beds per 100,000 population when compared to the EU average, which means it needs some 500 more beds to bridge the gap, according to the HSPA.
Curative beds is defined as those accommodating patients where the principal clinical intent is to manage labour, perform surgery and relieve symptoms of non-mental illness or injury, among others.
In the light of the perpetual problem of beds lining corridors – an issue that has plagued the health system for years – Mr Fearne said the government was planning to reach the target of 500 more beds by the end of this legislature.
By May, the migration to Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Hospital will translate into 113 extra beds, while the construction of three new medical wards at Mater Dei Hospital will translate into 70 beds this year and another 100 beds in 2016.
Over the past year, internal alterations within Mater Dei itself led to 25 additional, high-quality beds.
Over and above these, Mr Fearne said the Health Department was formalising plans for a new rehabilitation facility, as well as a hospice hospital.
Without giving further details, Mr Fearne said that together with the expected development of parts of the old St Luke’s Hospital and a significant expansion of Gozo General Hospital, the chronic hospital bed shortage should be addressed.