HIV Medication for Maltese and EU Nationals living in Malta, who are HIV Positive is free. Most healthcare services are offered at Mater Dei Hospital (MDH), known popularly as simply Mater Dei, located in Msida. EU Nationals who travel to Malta for a period that does not exceed three months should carry their European Health Insurance Card that gives you access to medically necessary, state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the 28 EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, under the same conditions and at the same cost (free in the case of Malta) as people insured in that country. Personal importation of up to 3 months of medication for personal use should be ok, especially if it is accompanied by a physician’s prescription for the medication in the name of the traveler.

EU nationals staying in Malta for more than three months still qualify for free healthcare, but they would need to have an E121 form, which can be obtained in your home country. The form has got to be registered with the Malta Health Department Entitlement Unit, who will then issue a Certificate of Entitlement.

Full information for persons living with HIV who wish to come to Malta to settle permanently can be found in our specialised page here.

EU nationals and their family members are entitled to the same treatment (including medical treatment) as Maltese nationals, therefore HIV treatment for EU nationals/Family is available at no cost. Importantly, this entitlement only starts to be effective once the EU national starts working in Malta (or job seeking for only 6months).

Once you have your NI number and your residency card in Malta you can register for the local health service by applying to the Entitlement Unit . If the exact treatment is not available in Malta, treatment substitution might be required in order to as-much-as-possible match the treatment that was being taken before arrival to Malta.

Full information for persons living with HIV who wish to come to Malta to settle permanently can be found in our specialised page here.

It is possible for a third country national to get a work permit however a health insurance policy is required. Keep in mind that health insurance premiums may be affected by HIV status. Access to free health care depends on whether the Maltese government has any bilateral arrangements with the country of origin. Health screening is carried out and documentation is collected by Identity Malta. Please refer to Identity Malta’s guidelines here for a full list of all processes and documentation required.

Full information for persons living with HIV who wish to come to Malta to settle permanently can be found in our specialised page here.

HIV is considered to be a long-term chronic condition which means that it is excluded by most health insurance policies, including those issued in Malta. In addition, insurance policies do not cover pre-existing conditions, which would mean that anything that occurred before the policy was taken out and is ongoing would not be covered. This does not mean that insurance companies will definitely not issue a private health insurance policy to people who live with HIV, but what it means is that the insurance company will not cover any expenses related to HIV.

HIV related medication is provided for free to those who are entitled to it. Read more in our section above on Access to HIV Medication/Treatment.

When you apply for medical insurance, you will be asked to provide detailed information about yourself and your medical history. This will also include questions related to HIV. Some insurers will provide cover however they will explain that treatment for any illness related to HIV will be excluded. Others may reject the application, however HIV Malta is actively working in order to educate local insurers on the concepts of U=U and the effectiveness of HIV medication in reducing the viral load.

Notwithstanding the fact that this might be a challenge, we do not suggest that information about HIV status is withheld. This is because there is a risk that the policy can be cancelled for non-disclosure, at the risk of waste of money on insurance premium and the invalidation of the policy in case of a real health claim that requires urgent treatment. Insurance companies in Malta are obliged to respect General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and will therefore treat your personal health-related information with strict confidentiality.

When employers offer health insurance to their employees as part of their employee benefits package, disclosure related to the medical history of employees will not be required, and a questionnaire will not need to be filled in. Nevertheless one should keep in mind that costs for treatment related to HIV will be excluded. There are cases when full medical underwriting may be required, and in that case the employee will be required to fill in a proposal form. In this case, the employee is entitled to submit the proposal form directly to the insurer without the need to provide copies or details of that proposal form to the employer.

If the policy was taken out before you received your diagnosis, there is no need to provide any information about your HIV status to your insurer. Nevertheless remember that costs for treatment related to HIV will be excluded. We recommend that anyone who was diagnosed as HIV positive after they have taken out a health insurance policy holds on to that policy and ensures that they continue to pay the premium normally. This is because if the policy is cancelled and then restarted later, a new proposal form will need to be filled in, in which case one would have to disclose their HIV status. This may mean that there is a chance that cover may not be offered or it could be more expensive when taken out again.

No! In order to take PrEP safely, you need to take one dose every day, at least seven days before having sex. Alternatively, you should start by taking two pills between 2 and 24 hours before having sex, and then take one pill a day at the same time after taking the first dose. Keep taking PrEP at least for 24 hours after you have had sex. Click Here for more detailed information.

A study held in 2012 showed that PrEP is between 99% effective for those who take one pill a day. Taking PrEP by carefully using the On-Demand Method carries equivalent effectivity though we often find that taking one pill every day is somewhat easier especially when it becomes part of your daily routine. It is also the best way to protect yourself if your partner is living with HIV.

PrEP is however 0% effective against other sexually transmitted diseases. This means that relying just on PrEP for your sexual health is not advisable, especially if you have more than one regular sex partner. Read about other forms of prevention. Remember. Never compromise. Your health and safety come first.

If you are afraid that you may have been exposed to HIV, visit the GU Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital and ask for Post-Exposure Prophylaxis. If the GU Clinic is closed, you can visit the Accident & Emergency Department at Mater Dei. Do not delay, because PEP needs to be taken within the first 72 hours of exposure. Every single hour counts. Explain your situation without hesitation, and PEP will be made available to you around EUR 600 depending on the treatment prescribed to you.

We do not agree with this cost, and are constantly lobbying continuously to have the price reduced. Until we achieve our aim for this to be free, please keep this cost in mind.

No! PEP needs to be taken as soon as possible, and not longer than 48 hours after exposure. Do not wait for the GU clinic to open on Monday to request treatment. The Emergency Department (A&E) is able to prescribe PEP.

In Malta, persons living with HIV who intentionally put another person at risk of transmission can be liable to criminal penalties. The law does not specifically mention HIV, however it does speak of diseases that are transmittable. Article 244A of the Criminal Code states that anyone who knowingly transmits communicates or passes a disease shall, on conviction, be liable to imprisonment for a term from four year to nine years. If the person dies, the charge changes to willful homicide carrying harsher penalties. If a disease is passed on not willfully but out of ‘imprudence, carelessness, or through non-observance of any regulation by the person who knew or should have known that he suffers there from or is afflicted thereby that person shall on conviction be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine (multa) not exceeding two thousand and three hundred and twenty-nine euro and thirty-seven cents (2,329.37)’.