VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta ranks second from the bottom among all European Union member states in spending on preventive healthcare relative to gross domestic product (GDP), according to new statistics published by Eurostat.
The Preventive Health Care Expenditure report shows that Malta spends significantly less on health prevention measures than every other EU country except Romania. Preventive healthcare includes initiatives designed to stop illness before treatment or hospitalisation becomes necessary.
In the report’s main chart, Malta is placed second last in the EU rankings, with expenditure well below the European average.
Eurostat figures show that in 2023, Malta’s spending on preventive healthcare amounted to just 0.08% of GDP—one of the lowest levels in Europe. By contrast, countries such as Germany allocated 7%, Austria 7.4%, and Finland 6.4% of their GDP to preventive health measures.
The figures indicate that while several European countries are increasing investment in screening programmes, vaccinations, prevention campaigns, and routine health check-ups, Malta is dedicating a significantly smaller share of its resources to this area.
Preventive healthcare includes initiatives such as cancer screening programmes, immunisation, anti-smoking campaigns, chronic disease monitoring, and other services aimed at detecting illnesses early or preventing them altogether.
– photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
