Maltese doctors in UK insurance probe

By Kurt Sansone

British insurance companies which provide emergency medical insurance for travellers are concerned about the rates charged by a handful of Maltese doctors and consultants when tourists visiting the island require emergency medical care.

MaltaToday can reveal that a number of tourists have fallen victim to doctors and consultants who choose to hospitalise patients in private hospitals even though the medical care required might not necessitate hospitalisation. As a result insurance companies end up forking out large sums of money to finance the claims.

The insurance companies cannot understand why Malta is medically more expensive than other Mediterranean resorts including Spain and Gibraltar. And cases have surfaced where consultants charged sums of up to Lm120 per day for services rendered to patients who did not require serious medical treatment.

This newspaper is informed that the insurance companies are following the situation very closely and contact has been made with doctors whose names have cropped up in relation to unethical behaviour, including a well-known consultant who has been in the spotlight locally for charging excessive fees.