The Malta Association of Public Health Medicine on Thursday expressed "grave concern" over Transport Malta's involvement in the issue of new road driving licenses.
The scandal, it said, eroded public trust and impeded Malta's efforts to maintain quality driving standards and road safety.
On Sunday, Times of Malta exposed a Transport Malta racket to help candidates obtain a driving licence.
WhatsApp chats involving then Transport Minister Ian Borg and other government officials with Transport Malta's director of licencing, Clint Mansueto showed that the latter had received names of hundreds of driving test candidates along with requests to assist them.
In some cases, the requests were explicitly for an expedited test date. In others, it was made clear that candidates would sit for their test without their instructor present or Mansueto was told that the candidate had repeatedly failed and needed "help".
In its statement, MAPHM insisted on an urgent overhaul of the system, including a re-evaluation of licensing procedures and a strong governance structure.
It expressed "serious concern" on the evolving situation surrounding the issue saying the implications were of "considerable concern" as the public trust had been undermined.
"The current sad state of our roads is affecting our environmental, mental and physical wellbeing, and resulted in a record number of road traffic fatalities in 2022.
"This was, until now, primarily attributed to the increased traffic on our roads, with car ownership increasing year on year.
"However, road safety is also a result of the maintenance of adequate driving standards and proper driving etiquette, which are tested during the driving licencing exams.
"Trust in the competent authority to uphold high standards in these exams has been put into serious question following the recent revelations," it said.
The MAPHM called for an overhaul of the current system as well as a complete re-evaluation of the licensing process, including the implementation of a robust governance framework within Transport Malta and related entities "to ensure that these corrupt practices cease and never recur".
On Tuesday, Doctors for Road Safety also expressed concern about the situation.