Malta medicinal

Hi, Y'all!

May came and went and was very busy. I may (pun intended) make a separate post about it, but that busyness was the reason for this blog being very quiet last month. 

Being busy reminds me of the following: I am officially allowed to call the hubs "Oh captain, my captain"! Don't worry, he is not a dead poet, but he trained knots, signals and nautical law, passed his exams with Transport Malta and has officially obtained his nautical license! Which means he is allowed to cruise in the 12 mile zone around Malta, Gozo and Camino. After a year of practice he can apply for the next license where he is allowed to go further and can drive larger vessels. But that only on a side note.  

If you ask around, what works well in Germany, very often you receive the answer "health care system". Although I have to admit, there are mixed opinions about it. I assume, people waiting weeks or months for a specialist's appointment or people suffering from lipedema who have to endure lifelong lymph drainage treatments and compression stockings instead of one operation, might think otherwise... My personal experiences with doctors and health insurance were always good. However, my German health insurance is still nagging me to send them a plane ticket as confirmation that I really left Germany. I already sent them my deregistration certificate of the German Registration Authorities - that should be proof enough, right? I mean, my new address is none of their business. They do not provide any services and I do not pay them any fees - and that since seven months now. But I don't want to get upset, that's not good for my health...

And how is health care in Malta? Thinking of first aid services like Knights of St. John, Knights Hospitaller, Knights of Malta, it should be heaven on earth, health care wise, right? And what shall I say? You maybe right! At least as far as I'm concerned. Two hospitals come into my mind spontaneously, one in Gozo and one here in Malta, the "Mater Dei". These are not the only ones, but that is not the baddest number in relation to a population of 500.000 inhabitants. And both have a very good reputation, like the Maltese health care system in general. Of course, there may be a waiting list, if it is a predictable/scheduled operation. If something is life threatening, it will be done immediately, for sure. And besides, you always can ask the hospital in Gozo about their waiting list, maybe it's shorter.  

As far as I know, there is no mandatory health insurance. Either your employer offers to pay for health insurance, or you pay a private one. We did the latter when we relocated last year, and the most expensive tariff is still a fraction of what Alex had to pay in Germany for private health insurance. Moreover, there are no financial hurdles to be eligible. In Germany you have to earn more than a specific amount for a certain period of time, before you are allowed to be privately insured. Malta has a rather pragmatic approach: If you can and want afford private health insurance, you can do so. It's as simple as that. 

Dental procedures are always paid privately, there is no dental insurance, not even privately. I have no clue the price of a crown or something similar, therefore I won't judge anything. But I do not remember Maltese people having lots of crooked or otherwise bad teeth (like I've seen in the UK years ago), thus I assume, these procedures seem to be affordable. 

Nevertheless we already had contact to a doctor. These general practitioners - unlike in Germany - do not always have their own office, but they treat their patients in a designated room in the local pharmacy. For instance, every Monday, the pharmacy hosts Dr. X and every Tuesday Dr. Y. There you are treated "first come, first serve" which means, during flu season, you might have to queue at 8 am and have to go home untreated because the doctor cannot take any more patients.  

But here is the big HOWEVER: In Malta you have a lot of general practitioners who actually come to your home. And that without any hassle - you just send them a message via WhatsApp or Facebook messenger and the doctor will let you know when he can come to you. We did that in winter, when hubs needed a check up for his nautical license. We weren't in a hurry, and one evening, Dr. Vassallo came by for a cup of tea, the check up and a prescription for me. He took his time, was very thorough, and that experience could not have been further from German packed waiting areas and a doctor, who doesn't listen, because so many patients, so little time. Dr. Vassallo even explained in detail, which herbs and spices can support a healthy lifestyle. This combination of medicinal science, naturopathy and a doctor who really wants to help his patients we deeply appreciated and liked very, very much. 

Maybe you know that I have a massive hypothyroidism (also know as Hashimoto) and do constantly need hormones, because my thyroid does not produce them anymore. Therefore I showed the doctor my meds I usually take, and on a note pad he scribbled the medical agent (the exact medication you can't get here in Malta) and that I need these meds daily and indefinitely. Stamp and signature, and the prescription was done. So on Tuesday I took that to our local pharmacy and was handed my meds. The prescription I got back and I assume I can re-use it next time. Btw nobody asked for my health insurance and we do not have a chip card issued by the insurance company. Everything low key and uncomplicated - I like. 

In comparison: In Germany I had to visit the doctor every three months to get a new prescription. With that I went to the pharmacy, got a pack of 100 tablets and had to pay shortly over 10 EUR, which was the fee for the prescription plus some compensation as my meds were more expensive than the medication my health insurer agreed to pay for thyroid hormones. And of course, you could not get more than 100 tablets with one prescription, and the reason they stated was that my condition might change on short notice, and then they could adapt the medication accordingly. Fun fact: My bloodwork and/or ultrasound to check my thyroid status was done every two years. Shouldn't it be done every three months, too, I am wondering? In the end, it's all about money, I guess...

Here in Malta, however, they informed me, that although my condition is permanent, the medical agent I need does not belong to the meds they give away for free, even if it's chronical. Therefore, unfortunately, I had to pay for my meds. I got two packs of pills (the dosage I need they don't have in one tablet) and each pack contained 28 pills and I braced myself. What would I have to pay now? Well, 2.48 EUR for one pack and 2.58 EUR for the other! That was a pleasant surprise, I can tell you! 

With that said: Please do not worry about my health care here in Malta :-) And in order to avoid leaving this post pictureless, please find this: 

It is common knowledge that you should have great variation in your diet (locally, seasonally) and if possible avoid highly processed food. Dr. Vassallo said the same, by the way. Therefore please find in that picture above figs fresh from your neighbour's garden (more local is impossible), baked with goat cheese, caramel syrup and hazelnuts, rosemary cracker with sea salt and sourdough bread with vegan feta and vegan butter with chives and lemon. The goat cheese, the grapes and the nuts were store bought, but the spreads, the bread, syrup and cracker were homemade by me.  

On that note: Have a beautiful weekend and stay healthy!