Looking forward 2026 | Making sexual health a core part of healthcare

Malta finds itself at a crossroads on sexual and reproductive health in 2026 just as it has been at the start of every new year for the past decade.

In late 2024, the government introduced its long-awaited National Sexual Health Strategy, committing the country to a more inclusive, rights-based approach.

Yet this progress sits uneasily alongside Malta’s abortion laws, which remain among the most restrictive in Europe. Even after the limited 2023 amendment allowing termination when a pregnant person’s life is in immediate danger, the procedure still requires approval from multiple specialists. And as it stands abortion remains criminalised in almost all other circumstances.

This legal framework continues to shape how reproductive health is experienced in practice.

Throughout 2025, the public debate on reproductive rights intensified. Advocates and healthcare professionals have repeatedly warned that criminalisation forces people to seek help in secrecy and that it delays urgent medical intervention. It also undermines trust in the healthcare system.

Criminal penalties are not merely theoretical, but a real concern, which could influence whether people feel safe accessing care. These realities have fuelled ongoing calls for clearer safeguards for patients facing medical emergencies.

The Sexual Health Strategy offers a genuine opportunity for progress if it moves beyond paper commitments. It aligns Malta with international and European health frameworks and promises improved sexual health literacy, wider access to contraception and better services for marginalised groups, including sex workers, migrants and LGBTIQ+ communities.

With proper investment and meaningful collaboration with civil society, the strategy could strengthen prevention and care even in the absence of immediate reform to abortion law. However, this will require clear targets and sustained political will.

Small steps have already been taken when it comes to reproductive health. In 2025, the government rolled out the ‘End The Stigma. Period!’ initiative, installing machines in several secondary schools across Malta and Gozo to provide free menstruation products to students.

This measure aims to challenge the stigma surrounding menstruation, promote gender equality and reduce educational disruption caused by lack of access to essential hygiene products. It also complements broader reforms such as the removal of VAT on these products, reducing financial burdens on families and signalling a shift toward more inclusive health policies.

However, at the time of writing, important gaps in services remain. The morning-after pill has still not been added to the national formulary list, nor have PrEP or PEP (prevention and post-exposure HIV medicine), despite repeated commitments.

The government has indicated that PrEP and PEP are expected to be introduced in 2026, but delays continue to undermine confidence in delivery. Meanwhile, HIV and other STI cases in Malta remain high compared to the EU average.

Against this backdrop, 2026 stands to be a decisive year. If Malta begins to implement the Sexual Health Strategy in full the country could see concrete improvements in sexual and reproductive services.

These changes could include more accessible contraception, expanded testing for HIV and other STIs, additional clinics for underserved communities and stronger public education campaigns. Mental health support and counselling services could also be better integrated for people who receive an HIV diagnosis or who face barriers to reproductive care.

The coming year could also mark a shift in public attitudes. Sexual health in Malta remains heavily stigmatised. Comprehensive, inclusive sexual health education in schools and across public platforms could help dismantle misconceptions and encourage safer practices and promote earlier engagement with testing and care. This should be done by framing sexual health as a core component of overall wellbeing.

As these debates are unfolding at national level, in recent months, the European Parliament and its Committee on Women’s Rights have advanced measures calling for improved and more equitable access to abortion services across the EU, including recognition of reproductive healthcare as a fundamental right. Although these resolutions are non-binding on member states, they increasingly expose Malta’s isolationist approach to abortion.

In 2026 Malta should begin a shift to treat sexual and reproductive health as a central pillar of the national health system rather than a marginal issue shaped by fear and stigma.