The GU Clinic, which treats sexually transmitted diseases and genital conditions, has a six-month waiting list to see patients for routine check-ups, Times of Malta has learned.
A man, who asked not to be named, called into the genitourinary clinic last week to ask for an appointment for a routine check-up, only to be told that the next available date they could offer him was in January.
“As I’m sexually active, I feel it’s my responsibility to get tested regularly,” he said.
“But such a long wait for a routine check-up seems a bit excessive. Imagine you’re a carrier for a disease, how would you know? You’re essentially telling people to stay celibate or go ahead and keep on spreading.”
As a frequent user of the clinic, he added that the staff members there were extremely thorough and professional.
However, he has noticed there is often not enough staff to meet the demand of patients.
“It’s a bit of a ridiculous situation as I’ve used such services overseas and got results in two weeks. The mindset is that you cannot risk having patients potentially transmitting diseases when they are waiting for results,” he added.
“The government should understand that keeping an HIV patient on life-saving medication for the rest of their life is far more costly than investing in the tools to catch cases early and prevent it from spreading.”
Sources within the clinic confirmed with Times of Malta that patients not exhibiting symptoms would have to wait six months before they are seen as staff is struggling to keep up with a spike in syphilis cases and treat a number of patients who are testing positive for monkeypox.
“There is a triage system and people exhibiting symptoms are seen within 24 to 48 hours and their contacts within a week,” one source said.
“But we are working with a reduced staff complement and, on top of a number of monkeypox cases that are being diagnosed through us, there is a spike in syphilis cases.”
Sources said the GU clinic has diagnosed some 14 monkeypox cases among patients displaying a genital rash, with clinic staff expecting the number to increase.
In order to treat monkeypox patients, staff members must put on full PPE and run a long list of procedures and mitigation measures to minimise the spread of the disease, making appointment times longer.
The sources attributed the spike in syphilis cases to people attempting to “make up for lost time” after the pandemic as increased travel and parties tend to make summer a busier season for staff.
“If resources aren’t added, it’s going to turn into a situation where we are either not able to see patients or the waiting list has to continue to get longer.”
In reply to questions sent by Times of Malta, a spokesperson for the health ministry said the clinic was experiencing delays due to increased demand but that patients displaying symptoms are given urgent appointments when requested.
Additional resources to meet the demand in services are being trained, they added.
“To increase the workforce in this area, primary care doctors are being trained to manage these cases and point-of-care tests for STDs are in the process of being procured so that appointments are also offered in the community,” the spokesperson said.