7% of health workers are foreign

Malta is increasingly becoming dependent on foreign workers in the public health service, supplementing its lack of resources, mainly specialised, with non-Maltese professionals.

According to new information presented in Parliament at the request of PN MP Adrian Delia, there are currently 170 foreign doctors and 576 nurses employed full-time in Malta’s public health system. This represents 7% of all doctors registered with the government and approximately 12% of all nurses.

Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela stated that the national health service is currently supported by 1,940 doctors, 2,537 nurses, and 288 midwives, including foreign staff.

The situation is more pronounced when it comes to carers and other minor staff. In this area, it is estimated that almost half of the health carers are of foreign origin and come to Malta specifically for work.

A breakdown of the nationalities of foreign doctors working in Malta shows that the largest group consists of 24 individuals from Nigeria, followed by 15 each from India and Ukraine.

When it comes to nurses, the largest group is comprised of 291 individuals from India, followed by 112 from Pakistan.

The need to import foreign health workers, particularly doctors and nurses, is a trend observed across the EU and other advanced economies. Several factors, including an ageing population and the expansion of healthcare services, are driving this demand.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that by 2030, Europe will face a shortfall of nearly 1 million health workers.