As from next Tuesday, specialists working in private practice, including family medicine specialists (GPs), will be able to request a wider range of blood tests and ultrasound examinations from state hospitals and other health institutions for patients under their care.

Minister for Health, Ian Borg, announced this development after the necessary discussions were held with those concerned, including the Malta Medical Association, the Association of Private Family Doctors, the Malta College of Family Doctors, other representatives of specialists working in private practice and the authorities of Mater Dei Hospital.

“This agreement means that patients of private family medicine specialists will save time and money by not having to be referred back to the public system, or pay privately, to consult other specialists, in order to obtain an appointment for investigations that the State provides at Mater Dei Hospital, Gozo General Hospital and other entities of the National Health Service,” said Dr Borg, adding that “we want to give more tools to family medicine specialists in the community to be an integral part of our commitment to improving the quality and efficiency of health services, so that our patients continue to receive the best possible care.”

It was explained that this is the first time since 2007 that access to investigations in the public health service is being expanded to specialists working in the private sector. To further streamline the process, all appointment requests and results will be processed electronically through the myHealth online system. Referrals via paper forms will no longer be accepted.

Borg explained that this broadening of access for private family medicine specialists is part of a reform that will be carried out in a number of phases, depending on the capacity of existing and future medical laboratories and imaging services, so as not to have an unwanted impact on patients already awaiting diagnosis and treatment.

In the first phase, which will come into effect on the 1st of September, family medicine specialists and other specialists in private practice will be able to request tests covering bone health, vitamin and mineral levels; digestive and gut health, including tests for coeliac disease, bacteria that can cause stomach ulcers, infections and inflammation of the gut; markers of infection and inflammation; assessment of heart problems and early kidney difficulties; muscle enzymes; as well as monitoring blood levels for patients on long-term treatment for epilepsy, heart conditions or mental health conditions.

Obstetricians and gynaecologists will also be able to request routine pregnancy-related blood tests, including blood group and antibody tests, immunity tests for rubella and chickenpox, testing for syphilis and hepatitis B and C, as well as markers used in gynaecological assessment and during pregnancy.

Ultrasound examinations of the abdomen and pelvis, kidneys and bladder, neck and thyroid, the testes, and lumps and swellings under the skin will also be available.

The Health Ministry will evaluate the results of the first phase of this expansion of services for specialists in private practice before continuing to implement other similar initiatives, including greater access to patients’ clinical records.

The Health Minister said that the Ministry is also working to increase the capacity of medical testing and imaging facilities, which currently process more than ten million tests per year. It is also advancing a number of infrastructural and technological investments, including the construction of the new Medical Imaging Department at Mater Dei Hospital, as well as the planning of a project in the field of biochemistry to achieve Total Laboratory Automation. This will pave the way for further broadening of the range of investigations accessible to family medicine specialists and other specialists in private practice in the coming years.

File photo

Permalink: More clinical tests for patients to be available to family medicine specialists