Health, vaccinations and medical care in Malta

Cover

• EU and EEA visitors: carry your EHIC. It gives access to state healthcare on the same terms as a resident.
• UK visitors: the GHIC does the same job. Neither card is travel insurance, and neither covers repatriation or a private clinic.
• Travel insurance still matters for anything the state system does not cover.
• Care is delivered in English, which removes the usual friction entirely.
• Mater Dei is the main hospital; Gozo has a general hospital at Victoria.

The heat

• This is the practical health risk. Maltese summers are severe and there is very little shade.
• Heat exhaustion and sunburn are what actually put visitors in clinics here.
• Drink far more water than feels necessary, and treat the middle of the day as indoor time in July and August.

Everyday health

• Tap water is safe but tastes strongly of desalination. Most residents drink bottled or filtered.
• Pharmacies are well stocked and pharmacists advise in English.
• Jellyfish appear seasonally; local advice at the beach is reliable.