HIV medicine not being given for cases of consensual sexual relations – PN MP
Nationalist Party MP Graziella Attard Previ has said that the HIV medicine post-exposure prophyl (PEP) is not being offered by Mater Dei’s GU clinic for cases of consensual sexual relations.
PEP is a medicine that must be taken within a few hours following sexual intercourse so that the person involved is not at risk of contracting HIV.
During her parliamentary speech, Attard Previ mentioned reports on HIV Malta’s Facebook page and from a story reported by the Times of Malta on 7 May 2022, which both said that this medicine is no longer offered at Mater Dei.
When responding to a parliamentary question put forward by Attard Previ, Health Minister Chris Fearne said “the medicines for HIV PEP are still offered and in fact, they were never stopped by the Mater Dei Hospital.”
Attard Previ noted that this answer did not include everyone who is at risk, “but there are specific criteria that exclude consensual sexual relations.”
Moreover, she pointed out that the government promised that both PEP and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) will be free for patients during its electoral manifesto.
“These medicines cost a lot of money and certainly not everyone can afford them,” she said.
Attard Previ also pointed out how in 2021, Malta was declared as the country to have the most cases of HIV in the European Union.
She also mentioned Malta’s Sexual Health Policy, which was released in 2010 by the Nationalist Party, and how this needs to be updated to cater to today’s situation.
When talking about Malta’s GU clinic, she said that although it was an important clinic, people are waiting around six months to book an appointment due to the lack of resources.
She also spoke about how in 2021, the government promised that there will be two new GU clinics in Marsaxlokk and Mellieha, however, even after mentioning this in the Budget, there is no information about these clinics as of yet.
HIV Malta reacted to Attard Previ’s intervention in parliament, repeating what Attard Previ said: “Notwithstanding claims to the contrary by Health Authorities, PEP is NOT free for cases that do not involve sexual assault or needle stick injuries by health workers.”
“If a condom breaks, or if a person lies to their partner about STI prevention, PEP must be bought at a minimum price of €700 and up to €1,200 from a handful of pharmacies that may not be open on a Sunday. We also know that sexual assault victims need more than 72 hours to process the assault, and PEP taken after 72 hours is ineffective.”
“Otherwise, the unclear messaging by authorities on this topic is detrimental to people’s health. Answers to Parliamentary Questions [which] inaccurately imply that PEP is available for free damage volunteers’ ability to give clear life-saving emergency advice. Our priorities are not electoral votes but our society’s health and quality of life, and we hope that authorities share that same priority with us.”