Heart disease deaths far higher than EU average

Circulatory disease is the leading cause of death in Malta, accounting for 46 per cent of all deaths, with cancer in second place with 24 per cent of the total, according to a World Health Organisation survey of the European Union's 25 member states.

The report compares each of the EU accession states with the average in the EU when it was still formed of 15 members.

A total of 172 people out of each 100,000 died of ischaemic heart disease in Malta in 2002, nearly double the EU15 average of 97. However, the incidence of cancer overall is lower than in the EU15.

Diabetes is highly prevalent on the island (10 per cent of adults older than 35), as it is in other Mediterranean countries, but respiratory disease is not as common, with 68 cases per 100,000 compared to the EU average of 82.

Malta fares relatively well on other causes of death. It has 171 injuries resulting from road traffic accidents per 100,000, compared to the EU average of 335.

Life expectancy at birth overall - 78 - is close to the EU15 average of 79, with males having a slightly higher life expectancy and females a slightly lower one.

Malta is ranked by WHO among countries with "very low mortality" for both adults and children, along with all the EU15.

WHO also identifies where the risks lie: although the figures are a bit out of date - they are for 1995 - 34 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women smoke, compared to the EU15 average of 32 per cent and 23 per cent respectively.

Annual alcohol consumption is 5.4 litres per person, compared to 9.2 litres for the EU15.

Malta's health service has less resources in more categories: 260 physicians for each 100,000 population, compared to the EU average of 380; 400 dentists (EU15 - 640); 550 nurses (EU15 - 670) and 200 pharmacists (EU15 - 790).

There are 496 hospital beds for each 100,000, compared to the EU15 average of 611.