Overview:
The Treatment Abroad Coordination Office is based at Mater Dei Hospital, Administration Block. The purpose of this office is to coordinate the overall procedure entailed by the National Highly Specialised Overseas Referrals Programme. Furthermore this Office is responsible for the coordination and logistical arrangements in relation to Clinics and Theatre sessions carried out by Overseas Visiting Consultants at Mater Dei Hospital.
The Office of the CMO is continuously carrying out feasibility studies to assess which services can be introduced at Mater Dei Hospital through regular visits by Overseas Visiting Consultants.
A number of UK and Sicilian Consultants from different specialties are invited regularly every year to carry out Clinics and surgical procedures at Mater Dei Hospital. Through these visits a number of patients will not require travelling to UK for treatment as this will be offered in Malta. These visits not only serve to alleviate the burden of travel for patients and their relatives but also serve as a valuable contact for the local Health Professionals.
Through these visits the Ministry for Health seeks to strengthen the relationships between Mater Dei Hospital and Foreign hospitals.
How can a patient be treated by an Overseas Visiting Consultant?
Local Consultants are in contact with Overseas Visiting Consultants and liaise closely together to coordinate patients’ care. When the dates of a visiting consultants are known these are communicated to the Local Consultants who prepare the lists of patients that are to be seen in clinics. During the clinic the Overseas Visiting Consultants draw up the list of patients who would need surgery overseas and those who can be treated locally.
There is no direct referral to Visiting Consultants’ Clinics. Patients must be under the care of a local Government Consultant who will refer the patient to the visiting consultants when ever it is deemed to be necessary. The local consultants should be in the same specialty of the Visiting Consultant.
Continuous contact is kept between local and visiting consultants to ascertain continuity of care.