Health care in Malta for workers: health centres, Mater Dei, insurance, pharmacies

Malta’s public health system is good, free at the point of use for people who are entitled, and slow in the places every public system is slow. Know which door to use for what, keep your residence card on you, and keep the insurance policy your permit required. Entitlement rules are set by the health ministry; confirm your own case there.

The three doors

1. Pharmacy. First stop for anything minor. Pharmacists advise, sell most medicines over the counter, and tell you when you need a doctor. Everywhere, long hours, a rota for Sundays.
2. Health centre. Government clinics in the main towns: general practitioners, nurses, blood tests, X-rays at some, out-of-hours walk-in. Register at the one nearest your home. Bring your residence card or interim receipt. Registering is one of the steps in your first weeks in Malta.
3. Mater Dei Hospital, Msida. The national hospital. Emergencies through the Emergency Department; everything else by referral from a doctor. Gozo has its own general hospital.

Emergency number: 112.

Who is covered

People who work in Malta and pay social security contributions, which is every employee on a payslip, use the public service. Entitlement is checked against your status; a residence card is the usual proof. The exact scope of free treatment for different residence statuses is set by the health ministry and changes; ask at the health centre when you register and read the ministry’s pages. Emergency treatment is given to anyone who presents at Mater Dei. The contributions and how they are taken have their own page.

EU citizens use their European Health Insurance Card for the first weeks and switch to Maltese cover once on the payroll. The rest of the EU citizens’ route is on its own page.

The insurance you already have

Non-EU workers hold a health insurance policy of at least €100,000 covering outpatient and hospital treatment in Malta for the first year of the permit; Identità requires it. Many employers arrange it. Find out whose name is on the policy, what it covers, and how to claim. For anything the public system does not cover quickly, that policy is your second route.

Private care

Private clinics and hospitals exist across the island and are fast for consultations, scans and dentistry. Prices are posted; ask before. Many employers offer private cover as a benefit in office jobs.

Dentistry

Public dental care for entitled persons is limited. Most people pay privately; a check-up and filling are a modest cost compared with northern Europe.

Mental health

Hard year, small island, far from home: it is common. Health centres refer to public mental health services; there are helplines and NGO counselling in English. Ask the health centre or a pharmacist; both will know the current numbers.

Medicines from home

Bring prescriptions and the generic names. Many medicines have different brand names here. The pharmacist will match them.

Women

Maternity care is through the public system at Mater Dei. Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination is mandatory for all female applicants in the work-permit health screening, whatever the job. What the screening tests and what fails you is on its own page.

Keep

Your residence card, your insurance policy number, the name of your health centre, the generic names of any medicine you take. On your phone.

Check this at the source

• Ministry for Health: entitlement, health centres, services. https://health.gov.mt/
• Identità checklist: €100,000 health insurance for the first year. https://identita.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Checklist-New-Application-for-Single-Permit-KEI.pdf
• Health screening rules for work permits. https://hpdp.gov.mt/idcu/work_permits_for_first_time_applicants
• Social security contribution rates 2026. https://mtca.gov.mt/personal-tax/fss/social-security-contribution-rates/class-1---social-security-contribution-rates/2026