New premises for the gender wellbeing clinic, which provides services to transgender people, were opened in Paola on Wednesday. 

The clinic, which offers general specialised healthcare and psycho-social care for trans people, was previously located in Mtarfa. It is now housed at the A3 towers, making it more accessible, the Parliamentary Secretary for Equality, Rebecca Buttigieg said. 

The clinic has been in operation since 2018 and has seen 340 patients. It provides psychotherapy, endocrinology and gynaecological services, among others. 

Buttigieg said there are plans to expand the space in the coming months to include a new LGBTIQ community centre that will introduce new services and strengthen existing ones. 

“We firmly believe that everyone’s needs should be covered within our healthcare system and that includes trans people,” Buttigieg added. 

“This is why the government is actively working on providing gender reassignment surgery for free.” 

Gabi Calleja, head of the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Unit (SOGIGESC) said that since 2015, trans people in Malta had gained many rights, allowing them to determine and affirm their gender without medical interventions. But there was always space for better health standards. 

“A secure and effective environment is crucial not only for trans people to be comfortable with their gender and mental wellbeing, but to allow trans people to reach their full potential in all avenues of life,” she said. 

Last month, Prime Minister Robert Abela promised that gender reassignment surgeries would be provided for free in the future.