The Malta Gay Rights Movement and HIV Malta complained Wednesday that people living with HIV have not been given a specific date by when they can expect to see any form of improvement in medication to replace severely outdated treatment which they receive, often dating back 20 years.
They also complained that despite a relatively high rate of HIV transmission in Malta, there was foot-dragging in the introduction of long-promised PrEP trials, even though this preventive treatment reduced risk of HIV by in excess of 99%," the groups added.
The groups were reacting to replies given in parliament by Health Minister Chris Fearne to questions by Nationalist MP Claudette Buttigieg.
Figures given as part of the replies showed that 326 people contracted the virus between January 2015 and April 2020, or five people a month.
Fearne said a national HIV strategy was being drawn up.
He also said Malta was in the final stages of introducing new, advanced treatment for HIV-positive patients. Four companies had bid to provide the medication.
The MGRM and HIV Malta said it was unsurprising that one of the first decisions made when the COVID-19 pandemic started was to limit the services given by the GU Clinic, effectively bringing to a halt the services provided by the sole government-sponsored clinic that offers sexual health screening in Malta.
"We found news articles celebrating a drop in HIV rates during this period, when little to no testing was being done, laughable," they said.
The two groups backed an appeal made by LGBTI+ Gozo for the provision of sexual health services in Gozo.
"The double-insularity of Gozo has effectively meant that sexually active people in Gozo have limited means to access sexual health services at best, and virtually no means of accessing any form of sexual health services during the pandemic."
They said the Covid-19 pandemic has proven that where there was a willingness to put the right resources towards addressing a health crisis, results were obtained.
"It is now the time to turn to HIV, the other pandemic in Malta which dates back from 1981, and resolve it once and for all," they said.