The Health Department is preparing a medical brief for the provision of gender reassignment surgery but has not given a date when it will be available.

In August, the Ministry for Equality told Times of Malta the government was planning on introducing free gender reassignment treatment for transgender people “without delay”, fulfilling an electoral pledge.

The ministry was reacting to a call by the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality for a plan enabling free access to such services.

The NCPE had concluded that Lauren Salerno, 53, who filed a complaint against the Health Department, had been indirectly discriminated against on the basis of gender.

The NCPE said she had suffered discrimination due to her gender

The commission called upon the Health Department to implement a concrete plan for enabling free access to gender reassignment services.

INTERVIEW: 'I spent 20 years suppressing my identity'

The decision brought fresh hope for Ms Salerno, but the delay in her treatment, already begun in the UK, meant that the reminders of her male body were creeping back in, she told the Times of Malta.

Born to a Maltese father and brought up in Wales, Ms Salerno said she had spent all her life fighting for dignity and was now feeling exhausted.

“It’s just like Chinese water torture. Most of the time I can deal with the drips, but if they fall quicker, it just takes one drip to break you,” Ms Salerno said in an interview.

Asked about the date upon which reassignment treatment will be available for transgender people, a Health Ministry spokeswoman said: “The Labour Party electoral manifesto specifically mentions the introduction of NHS services for transgender patients. The Health Department is currently preparing a medical brief on gender reassignment surgery for discussion with the relevant stakeholders.”