We have been receiving consistent reports from the community about the ever increasing waiting time at the GU Clinic.
Someone who calls the GU Clinic today for a routine appointment, will get an appointment in May 2023, six months from now. This is unacceptable and we cannot allow this to become normal, because it is not. Waiting six months for what in other countries is a routine walk-in service is not right.
We, a voluntary organisation, feel embarrassed to tell people to get tested knowing that realistically that will not happen any time soon. But the authorities that can solve this issue appear to be unfazed by it. To try to ease the pressure, we have been providing HIV Self-Test Kits against a donation to cover our costs, and Checkpoint Malta are carrying out Community Testing sessions. There are other services such as wider community testing and self-sampling that we would be ready to discuss, but these are not solutions. They should be nothing more than additional services to improve testing rates, and not a replacement for GU Clinics.
Our only GU Clinic needs resources. The 2021 announcement by Minister Chris Fearne that health centres were going to provide sexual health services has not happened in any form or way. No one has ever been provided sexual health services at the a health centre. Meanwhile Malta’s only GU Clinic lacks staff, resources and opens effectively during office hours. Before the issues with this one clinic are resolved, it is pointless to even contemplate extending this flawed service in more health centres.
