A national contact point will be set up in the coming months to ensure patients are fully informed about their rights as outlined in EU law, Health Minister Godfrey Farrugia has said.

The directive helps patients exercise their right of movement

The Government is working on transposing an EU Directive on Patients’ Rights in Cross-Border Healthcare, which comes into force in October.

Its purpose is to have standard, easier procedures to enable EU citizens to access medical services in other member states.

“The Patients’ Rights Directive helps patients exercise their right of movement to the extent that they are entitled to reimbursement for healthcare received in another EU country.

“However, national authorities are only required to reimburse the costs of cross-border healthcare falling within the national health basket, up to what it would have cost had the patient received the treatment at home,” Dr Farrugia said during a seminar on the directive.

He said that, for patients to make the best use of the directive, they had to be made aware of their rights.

Dr Farrugia added that, on assuming office, he immediately started drawing up a new Health Act that was being discussed in Parliament.

For the first time, patients will have the right to be involved in decisions taken on their health, the right to be provided with clear information on treatment options available, the right to be treated without undue delay and the right to access their medical records in accordance with data protection legislation.

“Having the appropriate legal basis on Maltese health services and systems is not only a ground-breaking step forward in itself but it is also a necessary prerequisite and legislative backbone under which we will transpose and implement the European Patients’ Rights and Cross-Border Directive,” he said.