Malta needs 15 interventional cardiologists to cater for its population of 400,000, according to Maltese Cardiac Society president Robert Xuereb.
There are five on the island who work around the clock and are constantly on call in the event of emergencies, such as heart attacks.
A number of junior doctors are in the process of being trained with the aim of eventually qualifying as interventional cardiologists.
Dr Xuereb was speaking to Times of Malta after making a presentation at the annual two-day conference of the Maltese Cardiac Society yesterday.
He explained that the aim of the society was to reduce the incidence of heart disease in Malta.
I cannot stress enough the importance of awareness and prevention
Cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death in the country, taking the lives of more people than cancer. About 100 people a year die as a result of heart disease. Major improvements in effective care have significantly helped scale down this number. In the 1980s, the number of deaths per year was about 1,200.
Apart from the increased awareness of the causes of heart disease, the drop in the death rate was propelled by the development of increasingly sophisticated treatments such as PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention).
PCI is a non-surgical procedure used to treat narrowed coronary arteries found in heart disease.
Dr Xuereb explained that about 800 patients were being treated via PCI as opposed to 200 who underwent the more invasive bypass surgery.
“I cannot stress enough the importance of awareness and prevention. People should check themselves regularly, starting from their 30s, especially if they have a family history of heart disease.”
There are several ways one can help reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease: eating a healthy, balanced diet, not smoking, keeping physically active and monitoring blood pressure and diabetes.
Dr Xuereb emphasised the strong link between childhood obesity and heart disease. The overt symptoms of heart disease manifest themselves during a person’s late 40s and onwards.
“For every two kilograms of extra weight we carry, there is a 20 per cent increase of getting coronary heart disease.”
Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia described health promotion and prevention as “key players in this field”.
“We are still far off from the creation of a cardiac knowledge-based society. Efficient coordination of healthcare services, following diagnosis, is also vital towards enhancing the quality of life of individuals with cardiac ill health.”
He identified family doctors, being in close contact with people, as key players in educating the public about the benefits of keeping healthy. Dr Farrugia pointed out that healthcare pathways from the post-diagnosis stage through to continuing long-term care should be enhanced and tailored to the various stages of ill health.