Watch: Free HIV medication tender is pushed back to 2026
Faced by rising HIV rates, government is criticised for failing to offer PrEP and PEP treatment this year as planned
The health minister has again pledged to introduce free HIV prevention treatment, saying a tender will be issued in 2026, pushing back a pledge originally made for this year.
Jo Etienne Abela said the tender for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) will be issued next year.
He was speaking after figures in parliament revealed some 721 people are currently living with the disease in Malta.
NGOs have long been calling for the treatment and have criticised the government for failing to act fast enough in the face of rising HIV rates.
In its long-awaited sexual health strategy, first published as a white paper in December 2024, the government had promised free PrEP for high-risk populations. Providing PrEP and PEP for free is also in the Labour Party’s manifesto.
In December 2024, Abela said the treatment would be introduced in 2025 after funds were allocated in the budget.
However, the authorities now plan to issue a tender for the provision of the two medicines in 2026. Abela said providing them for free will cost €1.6 million over three years.
PrEP is a preventive medication taken by HIV-negative individuals to reduce the risk of contracting HIV.
When taken consistently, PrEP reduces the risk of sexual transmission of HIV by around 99 per cent and significantly lowers the risk for people who inject drugs.
PEP is taken after a possible exposure to HIV, usually within 72 hours, for a 28-day period. It is around 80 per cent effective.
Malta’s per capita rate of new HIV diagnoses has climbed to the highest in a decade while remaining the highest in Europe for the second year in a row
Last week, the HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Europe Study said Malta’s per capita rate of new HIV diagnoses has climbed to the highest in a decade while remaining the highest in Europe for the second year in a row.
It found that while infection rates in Europe have been on a downward slope, Malta saw its highest rate of infection since 2015.
Responding to questions from Opposition MP Graziella Attard Previ, the minister said the latest figure of 721 patients may shift over time due to patients with HIV moving into or out of the country. He confirmed 125 new HIV cases were diagnosed up to November 28, 2025.
Abela told Times of Malta that the government was “constantly strengthening the service provided at the GU Clinic” and that there were three consultants who “work non-stop”.
He pointed to the five-year national sexual health strategy, published in June.
“If we didn’t have a strategy and we didn’t know where we want to go, I would say we’re falling short. But I think the government was determined to publish the strategy, and part of this strategy is about PrEP and PEP,” he said.
One measure he said would be introduced “in the coming days” is a pledge on condom use. The strategy promises a free condom scheme as one of its measures.