Healthcare is one of the first questions clients ask about Malta. It is also one of the questions that reveals most clearly how different people’s expectations are.
The short answer: Malta has a functioning public healthcare system that EU residents can access, and a well-developed private sector that most expats use for most things. The combination works — if you understand what each part is for.
The Public System
Malta’s public healthcare is provided through the government health service, centred on Mater Dei Hospital — the main teaching hospital, opened in 2007, built to modern European standards. It handles everything from emergency care to complex surgery, oncology, and specialist outpatient services.
Access for residents: EU citizens who are tax residents in Malta are entitled to use the public healthcare system. Non-EU residents with a valid residence permit and who are paying Maltese social security contributions (or who hold the appropriate coverage documentation) also have access.
The reality of the public system:
- Emergency care at Mater Dei is competent and free at the point of delivery
- Waiting times for non-emergency specialist appointments can be long — weeks to months
- The system is under genuine pressure from a rapidly growing population (Malta has seen significant immigration and a booming expat population)
- Facilities are newer than in many EU countries but the staffing ratios are stretched
Gozo General Hospital handles routine care for Gozitan residents. Serious cases are transferred to Mater Dei on the main island — by ferry or, for emergencies, by air ambulance.
What Expats Actually Do
Almost all of our clients — and virtually all of the expat community Sabrina works with — use private healthcare for routine and specialist care.
The private sector in Malta is concentrated around a handful of clinics and hospitals:
- St. James Hospital (Sliema) — the largest private hospital, general medicine and specialist consultations
- Dingli Clinic, Karin Grech Hospital (public but with private wing access), and a number of specialist private clinics across Sliema, St. Julian’s, and Valletta
A private GP consultation costs approximately €40–€70. A specialist appointment €80–€150. These are not UK or US prices.
Private medical insurance is strongly recommended for all expats regardless of nationality. Policies providing full private medical cover in Malta — including hospitalisation, specialist care, and repatriation — cost approximately €1,500–€4,000/year for a healthy adult, depending on age and coverage level. With a family, budget more.
The major international insurers (Bupa, AXA, Cigna, Allianz Care) all operate in Malta and are accepted by the main private clinics.
For British Residents Post-Brexit
UK residents who have already registered with the NHS before moving are not entitled to take NHS access with them to Malta. The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) covers emergency treatment in EU countries — including Malta — for UK residents on temporary stays, but not for long-term residents who have established their tax base in Malta.
Once you are Malta tax-resident, you are outside the NHS’s scope. Private insurance is not optional.
Dental and Optical
Both are generally excellent and dramatically cheaper than the UK, Ireland, Australia, or North America. Private dentistry in Malta costs approximately 30–50% of equivalent UK prices. Optical services are similarly competitive.
Most expats find that the cost savings on dental care alone, over a year, begin to pay for part of their private health insurance premium.
Medications
Malta operates on the EU pharmaceutical system. Most medications available in the UK, Ireland, or Australia are available in Malta. Prescriptions from Maltese doctors are required for prescription medications — a UK or Australian prescription is not automatically honoured, though a Maltese GP will typically reissue on review.
The practical checklist for incoming residents:
1. Register with a private GP in your area within the first month 1. Arrange international health insurance before you arrive 1. Request a full medication summary from your current GP so you can hand this to your new Maltese doctor 1. If you have chronic conditions, identify the relevant private specialist in Malta before you need them urgently
Sabrina’s Ground Truth
Thirteen years in Malta gives Sabrina a specific, tested view. She knows which private clinics move quickly and which are slower. She knows which GPs speak German, French, or Italian alongside English. She knows the emergency protocols at Mater Dei.
Her summary: Malta’s healthcare is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of healthy working-age expats. For complex, chronic, or serious conditions — particularly those requiring highly specialised care — some clients do return to the UK, Germany, or their home country for treatment. That is a real consideration for anyone with significant pre-existing conditions.
But for the life most of our clients are building — healthy, active, well-insured, with access to good private care — Malta works.
Book a consultation if you want to talk through the healthcare picture as part of your wider Malta move.