Around 500 people a year lose a part of their foot because of complications resulting from diabetes, academics have warned.
One in eight adults aged 25 to 64 suffer from diabetes, and 10,000 people are unaware they suffer from the disease.
Having diabetes increases risks of developing a wider range of foot issues, often starting with a small foot problem that can become more complicated over time.
Read: Preventing foot complications in diabetes
Around 15 to 20% of patients living with diabetes will develop a foot ulcer at some point during their lifetime.
During a meeting with MEP Francis Zammit Dimech, representatives of the Diabetes Foot Research Group at the University of Malta warned around 500 people will lose a part of their foot annually because of diabetes.
Every 20 seconds a lower limb is amputated due to diabetes, according to the International Group on the Diabetic Foot. Over 80% of all amputations are caused by a foot ulcer and can be prevented.
Noting several people in Malta were unaware they had diabetes, Dr Zammit Dimech called for the possibility of population-based screenings. He recommended an extensive standardised diabetes register that would facilitate the exchanged of data across the EU.
Dr Zammit Dimech reiterated his call for more investment in research, saying numbers in amputations were still relatively high.
"More commitment is needed to fight the silent epidemic," the PN MEP said.
Major amputations caused by diabetes fell by a third this year, according to statistics from the Health Ministry published earlier in the year.
Dr Zammit Dimech had said official requests by professionals for 4mm pen needles had been rejected. However, the Health Ministry had said the shorter needles could lead to incorrect dispensing if they were given to adolescents and adults instead of children. This was because the length might not be sufficient to reach the correct depth for best use of insulin, a spokesman for the ministry said.