I refer to the letter "Ready for EU membership" (January 14) expressing doubts on whether health care provision in Malta is up to the required standards compared to the EU.
The overall performance of the Maltese health service and health care system has been rated by WHO as the fifth best among 191 member states. Malta's health sector is classified as the best among all EU candidate countries. In a recent article in "Eurohealth" (volume 8, number 4, autumn 2002), a specialised publication of the London School of Economics, it was furthermore shown that the Maltese health parameters are equivalent or even better than the EU average. The comparative table is as follows:
Malta |
| EU average | |
Life expectancy at birth (years) | 77 |
| 78.2 |
Infant mortality rate | 7.2 |
| 5.07 |
TB incidence (per 100,000 population) | 5.8 |
| 12.29 |
SMR circulatory disease (0-64 years) | 51.35 |
| 49.42 |
SMR lung cancer (0-64 years) | 12.41 |
| 17.41 |
SMR accidents/poisoning (0-64 years) | 20.38 |
| 31.09 |
Health expenditure per capita (in PPP$) | 1262 |
| 1922 |
%GDP allocated to health | 8.8 |
| 8.5 |
Hospital beds (per 100,000 population) | 542 |
| 596 |
Average length of stay (days) | 4.63 |
| 8.2 |
No further remarks on the overall state of health affairs in Malta are required.
As a considerate health care organisation, we cannot exclude that there are isolated cases of abuse which merit further investigation if further details are made available. It is unfair to generalise, thereby failing to acknowledge the excellent contribution to the nation's health of thousands of Maltese health care workers. There are many, many British residents and visitors who can confirm the professionalism and dedication of health care in Malta.