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Coordinating Institution
Directorate for Health Information and Research – Ministry for Health – Government of Malta
Contact person for health information portal
Neville Calleja
Directorate for Health Information and Research – Ministry for Health – Government of Malta
Governance and legal framework
Legal framework and institutional responsibilities

The following are the legislation set out in Malta which regulate and / or impact Health Information: 

Moreover, since Malta is a member of the European Union it also follows the below EU Regulations: 

Health information strategy

Currently, there is no formal national health information system strategy in Malta, but all stakeholders and partners are covered with relevant legislation, they have clear roles and mandates for their work in the Health Information System.

National Strategies are available here.

Health information sources and players
Main players (institutions)

The Directorate for Health Information and Research (DHIR) is the main producing and clearing house of health statistics in Malta. It is also designated as Other National Authority (ONA) by Eurostat.

DHIR is responsible for the below data registries:

  • mortality;
  • cancer;
  • congenital anomalies;
  • organ transplant;
  • obstetrics;
  • dementia;
  • rare diseases;
  • hospitals information system; and,
  • accidents and injuries.

Moreover DHIR compiles System of Health Account Data for the private sector with the collaboration of the National Statistics Office (NSO). 

This directorate is  responsible for carrying out the  Health Interview Surveys. 

 

National Statistics Office (NSO) is the National Statistics Institute (NSI) for Malta. When it comes to the area of health statistics, the NSO are major clients of DHIR but also assist with the provision of demographical data, the logistics of the Health Interview Survey and the compilation of System of Health Accounts Data particularly for the private sector.

 

Ministry for Health (MFH): 

  • Pharmacy Of Your Choice (POYC)This directorate includes the Medicines Entitlement Unit for the national free medication scheme. For this reason,  this is the major source for morbidity statistics in Malta.
  • Central Procurement and Supplies Unit (CPSU). This unit is the procurement arm of the Ministry for Health which is responsible for the procurement of medical and drug supplies used in Malta for the public sector. Thus, this is therefore a major source for expenditure data.
  • Directorate for Pharmaceutical Affairs (DPA). This Directorate is responsible for Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) for medicinals introduced in the Public Sector. It is a major user of Health Data in Malta but they also provide data about the use of high cost orphan drugs. Data for the Dementia Register is captured through their Treatment Entitlement Form for dementia medication. 
  • Treatment Abroad Section. This section is responsible for organizing highly specialized treatment for Maltese patients abroad. It is one of the sources of the Rare Diseases Register.
  • Directorate for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Apart from being a major user of health data in Malta it is also responsible for the Health Behavior in School Children (HBSC) Survey.
  • Infectious Diseases and Control Unit (IDCU). This unit is the main producer of infectious disease statistics for Malta.
  • Financial Management and Control Unit (FMCU) is responsible for finance and administration within the Ministry for Health.  FMCU coordinates the collation of system of Health Accounts (HCA) data on an annual basis.
  • All Hospitals, Clinics and Health Care providers. There are various arrangements in place for the provision of raw data for most of the registries mentioned above.

 

Ministry for Senior Citizens and Active Ageing

This Ministry provides statistics on long-term care including both expenditure and non-expenditure statistics.

 

Department of Pediatrics at Mater Dei Hospital (MDH)

Partners of DHIR in maintaining the Cerebral Palsy register.

 

Directorate for Environmental Health (DEH)

This is the regulatory arm in charge of Environmental Health whose remit includes the issuing of burial permits. For this purpose DEH is a major stakeholder in the supply chain for the National Mortality Register.

 

Environment and Resources Authority (ERA)

The ERA is the national body responsible for the estimation and reporting of Environmental Health Indicators.

 

Occupations Health and Safety Authority (OHSA)

This entity which is the regulatory body covering occupational health and safety in Malta is responsible for the compilation and reporting of accidents at work data via NSO.

 

National EMCDDA Focal Point, which is within the Ministry for Social Justice and Solidarity, the Family, and Children’s Rights.

This Focal Point provides addiction statistics to EMCDDA.

 

SEDQA within the Foundation for Social Welfare Service.  

Sedqa is the national executive and non-profit making agency that is fully-funded by the state which works in the field of substance abuse, compulsive gambling and other dependencies. It is also responsible for the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD). 

 

Malta Police Force

The Malta Police Force are the main providers of forensic data especially to the national mortality register. On the other hand, the Malta Police Force Traffic Section collaborates with DHIR by providing the Directorate with data related to the Injury Database.

Data protection
National data/privacy protection regulation and specific data access policies

The Directorate for Health Information and Research, henceforth DHIR, is the Data Controller for a number of processing operations within the health sector in Malta in the public interest. DHIR implements the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Union, hence forth referred to as the GDPR in conjunction with the local legislation implementing this regulation, Data Protection Act 2018 CAP586.​ 

DHIR is responsible for secondary processing of personal data and is required to access personal data from public and private health care entities as well as notifications by health professionals. For this purpose, Legal Notice 263 of 2019​ issued under the Health Act CAP 528, stipulates the regulatory framework through which secondary processing of data in the health sector can take place. 

Health information infrastructure and management
Health information infrastructure and management

Health Information is primarily the remit of the Directorate for Health Information and Research, within the Department of Policy in Health, of the Ministry for Health.

Existence of a unique patient identifier or general personal identifier?
Yes
Name of identifier
Identity Card Number
Updated on 01 December 2023