The Lancet ranks Malta’s health sector among the world’s top ten

Malta has been ranked ninth worldwide, with 79 points, in an annual health-related index published today in the medical journal The Lancet.

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017), coordinated by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), based in Seattle, Washington, published its annual health-related SDG index – a summary of overall performance across 41 health-related indicators – in The Lancet for 195 countries worldwide.

Malta’s performance for this year saw a rise of five places compared to its placing in 14th position last year. Malta obtained full marks in 10 indicators assessed, and over 80 marks in 28 of those indicators. Malta is doing particularly well across many of the indicators related to communicable diseases and child development and also scored well in respect of health services related indicators.

This assessment, the government said in a statement yesterday, shows that Malta is well on track to achieve several targets for the health-related SDG indicators assessed by 2030.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Chris Fearne said that this ranking is the result of years of hard work in the right direction. “After years of being inflicted with huge issues such as never-ending waiting lists and out-ofstock medicines, the health sector today is aspiring to provide a service of excellence which is accessible to all. Being in the world’s top 10 is a direct result of the competence and dedication of our workforce, the ever-increasing investment by the government in the sector and the leadership and vision of our management team”