Search
Search

Health Systems and Policy Monitor (HSPM)

An innovative platform that provides a detailed description of health systems and provides up-to-date information on reforms and changes that are particularly policy relevant.
For detailed information on country policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-2021, see our separate COVID-19 Health Systems Response Monitor (HSRM).

obs-logo

Malta

Health Systems in Transition (HiT) profile

Menu

  1. Country Overview

  2. Health Systems in Transition (HiT) profile

    1. 1. Introduction

      Updated: 20 June 2025
      1. 1.0. Introduction
      2. 1.1. Geography and sociodemography
      3. 1.2. Economic context
      4. 1.3. Political context
      5. 1.4. Health status

        Updated: 20 June 2025
    2. 2. Organization and governance

      Updated: 02 October 2024
      1. 2.0. Introduction
      2. 2.1. Overview of the health system
      3. 2.2. Historical background
      4. 2.3. Organization

        Updated: 22 March 2024
      5. 2.4. Decentralization and centralization
      6. 2.5. Planning

        Updated: 02 October 2024
      7. 2.6. Intersectorality
      8. 2.7. Health information management
      9. 2.8. Regulation
      10. 2.9. Patient empowerment
    3. 3. Financing
      1. 3.0. Introduction
      2. 3.1. Health expenditure
      3. 3.2. Sources of revenue and financial flows
      4. 3.3. Overview of the statutory financing system
      5. 3.4. Out of pocket payments
      6. 3.5. Voluntary health insurance
      7. 3.6. Other financing
      8. 3.7. Payment mechanisms
    4. 4. Physical and human resources
      1. 4.0. Introduction
      2. 4.1. Physical resources
      3. 4.2. Human resources
    5. 5. Provision of services

      Updated: 01 September 2025
      1. 5.0. Introduction
      2. 5.1. Public health

        Updated: 01 January 2019
      3. 5.2. Patient pathways
      4. 5.3. Primary / ambulatory care

        Updated: 31 January 2024
      5. 5.4. Specialized ambulatory care / inpatient care
      6. 5.5. Emergency care

        Updated: 01 September 2025
      7. 5.6. Pharmaceutical care
      8. 5.7. Rehabilitation / intermediate care
      9. 5.8. Long term care

        Updated: 20 June 2025
      10. 5.9. Services for informal carers
      11. 5.10. Palliative care

        Updated: 01 September 2025
      12. 5.11. Mental health care
      13. 5.12. Dental care
      14. 5.13. Complementary and alternative medicine
      15. 5.14. Health services for specific populations
    6. 6. Principal health reforms

      Updated: 24 March 2024
      1. 6.0. Introduction
      2. 6.1. Analysis of recent reforms
      3. 6.2. Future developments

        Updated: 24 March 2024
    7. 7. Assessment of the health system

      Updated: 18 February 2019
      1. 7.0. Introduction
      2. 7.1. Stated objectives of the health system
      3. 7.2. Financial protection and equity in financing
      4. 7.3. User experience and equity of access to health care

        Updated: 18 February 2019
      5. 7.4. Health outcomes, health service outcomes and quality of care
      6. 7.5. Health system efficiency
      7. 7.6. Transparency and accountability
    8. 8. Conclusions
      1. 8.0. Introduction

2.5. Planning

Public health strategies, including the national health systems strategy, are evidence-informed with planning being related to projected population needs based on the available epidemiological information. Nonetheless, services planning is also limited by the available financing as well as by the available human resources. For example, when the number of nurses was identified as insufficient, this was addressed through recruitment from other countries. In this sense, inputs can act as an important determinant of health system planning. In terms of health workforce, a number of educational programmes are limited by a numerus clausus (fixed numbers of students) but this is more closely related to educational capacity. Although health planning is a central function of the Ministry for Health, capital projects are usually executed through the Foundation for Medical Services. There are no health plans at regional or local levels. Box2.2 describes the evaluation of priority-setting and planning.

Box2.2

Text-box

The National Health Systems Strategy has been updated in September 2024 to reflect the rapidly changing circumstances in Malta, including the precipitous expansion of the local population and the changes to the ownership and management of key health institutions in Malta and Gozo. It also highlights key adjustments in policy direction following the amalgamation of the health portfolio with active ageing. The updated strategy outines the plans that government has for the expansion and modernization of several of its hospitals and institutions as well as the reconfiguration of service provision in Malta and Gozo. The Strategy now covers the period up to 2033, allowing more time for the implementation of these plans.
Authors
Related Content
References
https://health.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/A_National_Health_Systems_Strategy_for_Malta_2023_2030_September_2024.pdf

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign Up