The flights of a family member accompanying minors requiring medical treatment abroad will be covered by the government following an agreement signed with Air Malta yesterday.
The move marks a step forward from the previous policy, where the government only paid the flights of one relative accompanying a child under six.
Last year, 108 patients under 18 needed to travel abroad and made a total of 174 trips. In all, there were 477 trips made by 296 patients who needed treatment abroad in 2009, Health Minister Joe Cassar said.
Despite the aid, he recognised that travelling abroad for treatment was always going to present a burden for patients and their relatives, and the government was committed to offer as many health services as possible in Malta. In fact, this year two new services - cochlear implants and complex mouth and gum surgeries - will start being done locally.
"But we will still have some super-specialised cases who need treatment abroad," Dr Cassar said in the first public event since he was sworn in as Health Minister on Wednesday.
This year, the government increased the budget allocated for medical treatment abroad by €500,000. It now totals €1.5 million.
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said that, although the treatment was free through a 30-year-old agreement with the British government, families faced financial burdens, especially when they had to leave their job to be with a loved one receiving treatment abroad.
"We felt the need to give more support than we did in the past," he said.
The extra funds should help reduce the pressure on the Malta Community Chest Fund, which is often the port of call for cash-strapped family members who need money to be with their loved ones abroad.
Although Air Malta used to help through preferential rates, yesterday's agreement will lead to a more structured system and relatives no longer have to knock on the airline's door themselves.
The agreement, the first to be signed between the airline and the Health Department, will also see Air Malta reducing air fares for patients and waiving most of the usual conditions. Last year, Air Malta carried four incubator cases, 26 stretcher cases and 81 cases where oxygen was needed. This does not come cheap for the airline which has already suffered serious financial losses. Each incubator or stretcher takes up nine seats.
According to outgoing Air Malta chairman Lawrence Zammit, it was not the first time other passengers had to be asked to take another flight to allow an emergency case to be transported to the UK. This too came with an added expense since passengers had to be compensated.
"There are people who understand and those who don't," Mr Zammit said when asked how passengers reacted to the request to forfeit their seat for a patient in need.