First time specialists’ access to medical investigations at state hospitals is being extended since 2007
Specialists working in private practice, including family medicine specialists (family doctors), will be able to order an extended range of blood tests and ultrasound examinations from state hospitals and other health institutions for patients under their care, as from Tuesday, 1st September.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health, Ian Borg, announced this development following extensive stakeholder discussions, including the Medical Association of Malta, the Association Of Private Family Doctors, the Malta College of Family Doctors, other representatives of private practice specialists and Mater Dei Hospital authorities.
“This agreement means that patients under the care of private family medicine specialists will save time and money in having to be referred back into the public system, or pay privately to consult other specialists, to obtain an appointment for investigations that the State provides at Mater Dei Hospital, the Gozo General Hospital, and other National Health Service entities,” Dr Borg said, adding that “we want to empower family medicine specialists in the community to be an integral part of our commitment to improve the quality and efficiency of health services, so that our patients can continue receiving the best care possible.”
This is the first time since 2007 that access to public investigations has been extended to specialists working in the private sector. To further streamline the process, all referrals and results will be handled electronically through the myHealth online system. Referrals through printed forms are no longer being accepted.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained that this extension to private family medicine specialists is part of a phased reform, matched to the capacity of existing and future laboratories and imaging services, so that it does not adversely impact patients already waiting for diagnosis and treatment.
In the first phase, starting 1st September, family medicine specialists and other private practice specialists will be able to request tests covering bone, vitamin and mineral levels; digestive and bowel health, including tests for coeliac disease, stomach ulcer bacteria, bowel infections and bowel inflammation; markers of infection and inflammation; assessment of heart failure and of early kidney damage; muscle enzymes; and blood level monitoring for patients on long-term treatment for epilepsy, heart conditions or mental health conditions.
Obstetricians and gynaecologists will additionally be able to request routine pregnancy blood work, including blood group and antibody screening, immunity testing for German measles and chickenpox, screening for syphilis and hepatitis B and C, and the markers used in gynaecological assessment and in pregnancy.
Ultrasound scans of the abdomen and pelvis, the kidneys and bladder, the neck and thyroid, the testes, and of lumps and swellings under the skin will also be available.
The Health Ministry will be assessing the results of the first phase of this extension of services to private practice specialists before proceeding with other similar initiatives, including increased access to patients’ clinical records.
The Ministry is also working to increase the capacity of testing and imaging facilities, which currently process more than ten million tests a year. It is investing in several infrastructural and technological upgrades, including the ongoing construction of the new Mater Dei Hospital Medical Imaging Department, as well an upcoming biochemistry project to achieve Total Laboratory Automation. This will pave the way for further widening of the range of investigations accessible to specialists in family medicine and other private practice specialists in coming years.
Photos: ODPM/MFH
