Last year 296 people were admitted to hospital suffering from a substance overdose, Health and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi said yesterday.

In response to a parliamentary question by Claudio Grech (PN), he said 23 of them were suffering from accidental poisoning.

Another 138 persons were admitted following intentional self-harm or suicide attempts.

It was not clear whether the poisoning was premeditated or accidental in the remaining 135 hospital admissions following an overdose, he said. The minister also said the data about fatalities related to drug overdose in 2015 was still being gathered.

In a reply given last October to a parliamentary question by Silvio Schembri (PL), Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela said that from 2005 to August 2015, 47 people died of a drug overdose. They were 39 men and eight women.

An increase in the incidence of HIV, which can lead to Aids, was the result of gay relationships and not shared syringes by drug users, Parliamentary Secretary for Health Chris Fearne said. He said a similar increase was being seen in several European countries.

A task force of professionals was drawing up policies and preparing an information campaign to tackle the trend and educate people on precautions to avoid sexually-transmitted diseases.

He said that no increase as a result of shared syringes had been registered and the Health Department was continuing to provide free syringes to those who needed them. Mr Fearne was replying to questions by Franco Mercieca and Anthony Agius Decelis (PL).

Last week, in response to a parliamentary question by Claudio Grech (PN), the Health and Energy Minister said that over 1.5 million syringes were distributed by the public health services in 2015 to address various health conditions. The government has identified a site from which Sedqa will offer specialised services for drug users aged under 18.

Social Welfare Minister Michael Farrugia said that such a service was long overdue and would be started as soon as the personnel were trained. The site from where these services will be provided has been identified.