Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534095
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 APRIL 2025 NEWS lower incidence of cancer high uptake of screening examinations in the private sector. Moreover, inequality in participation in such programmes persists. In 2019, 74 % of Maltese women in the highest income quintile reported having had breast cancer screening in the past two years, whereas this was reported by only 51 % of women in the lowest quintile. In 2023, 68% of LGBTIQ cisgender fe- males, trans women, and intersex peo- ple aged 25-39 in Malta reported having had a cervical smear test in the previous five years. This was considerably higher than the 64% in the EU. In 2022, only 16% of eligible women participated in cervical cancer screen- ing – a rate much lower than in most other EU countries. But the report notes that many women in Malta have cervical screening tests in the private sector rather than utilize public screen- ing programmes. In the same year, a quarter of the el- igible population in Malta was also screened for colorectal cancer. Infrastructure, workforce and equipment shortfalls Malta's primary radiotherapy centre is the Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre at Mater Dei Hospital. While the country has a Treatment Abroad service for patients requiring specialist care unavailable locally, it remains the only EU country without a brachyther- apy unit, a treatment method using ra- dioactive sources placed inside or near tumours. Additionally, Malta lacks particle ac- celerators for light ion beam therapy, though such equipment remains rare across the EU due to its complexity. A sizeable oncology workforce has al- ways been a challenge for Malta, given its small population size. In a 2023 OECD policy survey on can- cer care performance, Malta reported a shortage of every medical profession listed, including general practitioners, oncologists, radiologists and radiog- raphers, radiation therapists, medical physicists, inpatient and community oncology nurses, and survivorship co- ordinators. However, relative to new cancer cases, Malta has a high supply of physicians. In 2022, in relation to can- cer incidence, Malta's density of doc- tors is 28% higher the EU average and the density of nurses is 9% higher the EU average. Fre The Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre 63% of Maltese adults are overweight or obese