We must take care of the sexual health of Malta’s growing population
Momentum is calling on the Government to recognise the growing pressure Malta’s rapidly expanding population is placing on public sexual health services, following reports of a sharp increase in sexually transmitted infections and long waiting times for routine screening.
STI notifications increased from 262 in 2015 to 1,307 in 2025, almost a fivefold increase in a decade. Visits to genitourinary services have also nearly doubled, from 3,969 in 2015 to 7,461 last year.
The Government’s response to this growing demand has also been too slow. For years, sexual health services were largely centred around the GU Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital, with the Government only beginning to decentralise services through Health and Wellbeing Clinics in Mellieħa, Marsaxlokk and Victoria in 2023. Yet patients are reportedly facing waiting times of up to nine weeks for routine screening, which shows that the expansion of services has not kept pace with the need.
Natasha Azzopardi, executive member of Momentum, said, “This is an example of how the Government’s population-growth model has not been adequately matched by investment in the public services required to support a larger population. Since 2013, the Government has pursued an economic model based on increasing Malta’s population year after year, without adequately preparing for the consequences related to population growth.”
Momentum is calling on the Government to review the capacity of Malta’s sexual health services, expand screening provision where necessary, improve access to testing and ensure that Malta’s National Sexual Health Strategy 2026-2030 is properly resourced and implemented.
Additionally, greater emphasis must be placed on sexual health education and prevention, particularly in a country with an increasingly international population. People should have easy access to clear, evidence-based information about STI prevention, testing, treatment and contraception. This should form an integral part of Malta’s public health strategy, with information and services designed to be accessible to everyone living and working in Malta.
Azzopardi added, “Sexual health must be treated as a national health priority. If people who want to be tested are being told to wait weeks for an appointment, the system is not keeping pace with demand.”
The Government cannot continue increasing the population without planning for the corresponding increase in demand on public services. Economic growth must go hand in hand with investment in the quality and capacity of the services that society depends on.
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