Malta ranked 27th of 36 countries in a study aimed at measuring healthcare provision from a consumer viewpoint.
According to the 2014 Euro Health Consumer Index, to be presented to the EU Health Commissioner today, Malta scored 582 out of 1,000, a loss of one position since 2013.
Health Consumer Powerhouse (HCP), which drew up the index, said Malta strengthened its patient information, improved the range and reach of services and become more active in prevention. However, waiting times remained too long and medical outcomes were “not even mediocre”.
“When we started to observe the Maltese healthcare performance we often heard the assurance that the new Mater Dei hospital... would mean a big change and do away with hospital infections and poor treatment outcomes. That was 2007. We now have the sad record: very little has really improved. Malta is in need of a radical healthcare overhaul,” HCP said.
Last year the Health Ministry criticised the company over its damning report on pancreatic cancer. It said HCP, funded by a pharmaceutical company that produced a drug to treat the condition, chose to ignore information about diagnosis and treatment in Malta.
The Euro Health Consumer Index report notes that results ought to be treated with caution since they are from a consumer viewpoint.
The points were broken down according to six major categories, being: patient rights and information (Malta scored 88), accessibility (125), outcomes (115), range and reach of services (113), prevention (95) and pharmaceuticals (48).