Government to pay full salary of Maltese doctors specialising in UK

New Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 limits number of international applicants

The government will be forking out the full salary of Maltese doctors who specialise in the UK, after a new law started prioritising UK medical graduates over international ones.

In a video message on Facebook, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela said the government used to pay local doctors specialising in the UK their basic salary. The UK's NHS would then top that up.

Since the passing of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 earlier this year, the NHS foundation and speciality training programs are required to allocate places to UK medical graduates before international applicants.

On Monday, Abela said this means the NHS will no longer supplement the pay to bring it in line with other specialising doctors in the UK.

The Maltese government has therefore stepped in to ensure local doctors can continue specialising. 

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