Table 1 Key facts about the Maltese health care system

Malta acceded to the EU in 2004. It is the smallest Member State in the EU with a population of 417,432 and a total land area of 315 km². The publicly funded health care system is the key provider of health services. The private sector complements provision particularly in the area of primary care and ambulatory specialist care. The Ministry is responsible for setting policy and standards, for regulation of public and private health services as well as for funding and direct organisation and delivery of health care. The public health system is funded by general tax revenues. Total health expenditure was 8.7 % of Malta’s GDP in 2012 of which public spending was only 5.6 %. Sustainability of the health system has become identified as a key challenge and the Maltese health system has come under the scrutiny during the European Semester process. In 2013 and 2014 Malta has received Country Specific Recommendations (CSRs) calling for a comprehensive reform of the health system to improve the efficiency and sustainable use of available resources.