Valeska Padovese - GFMER Coordinator for Malta

Valeska Padovese

GFMER Coordinator for Malta

Valeska Padovese

Valeska Padovese, MD
Consultant Dermatologist and Venereologist, Genitourinary Clinic, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta
Special Advisor on Migrant health, STIs and HIV in Vulnerable Populations of the International Foundation for Dermatology, International League of Dermatological Societies
Co-founder of Bridges2Health&Rights NGO
valeska.padovese@gov.mt

Short bio

Dr Padovese is the leading clinician at the genitourinary clinic in Malta and senior lecturer at the Medical School, University of Malta. Her main clinical and research interest is skin and sexual health in underserved populations. She took part in EU funded projects addressing sexual health needs in vulnerable groups, and she collaborates with WHO HRP on implementation and evaluation research of STI POCTs. Dr Padovese is ILDS Special Advisor on Migrants’ health, STIs and HIV, WHO Technical Advisor for Capacity Building on Health and Migration, and IUSTI Europe President Malta 2023. She is also Associated Editor of the British Journal of Dermatology and of the BMJ STI journal. She co-founded an international NGO, Bridges2Health&Rights operating in the broad areas of health and rights and at the intersections of disciplines such as medicine, law and criminology.

Sexual and reproductive health in Malta

Malta has made notable strides in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) in recent years, though challenges persist.

Access to Services: The Maltese government provides free sexual health services to all residents, regardless of sex, age, ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. These services encompass family planning, contraception advice, and testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Contraception: The contraceptive prevalence rate in Malta is approximately 63%. Natural methods are nearly as common as barrier and hormonal methods.

Abortion Laws: Malta enforces one of the strictest abortion laws globally, with abortion remaining illegal under all circumstances. In June 2023, the government amended the law to allow abortion only if the mother's life is at risk, but critics argue that the law still fails to protect women's health adequately.

Sex Education: While awareness of STIs is covered in Malta’s health education curriculum, there has been some criticism regarding the scope and depth of sex education, especially in addressing more detailed aspects of sexual health and STI prevention. Some advocate for more comprehensive, fact-based sex education in schools, which includes in-depth discussions of safe sex practices, STI transmission, and prevention.

Gender Equality and LGBTQ+ Rights: Malta has made significant progress in gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. In July 2024, legislation was passed to include a non-binary option on birth certificates. The country also legalized same-sex marriage in 2017 and allows joint adoption by same-sex couples.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) are a significant concern in terms of public health, and the country has seen a steady increase in the number of diagnosed cases of STIs over the past few years. Condom use is strongly promoted as a primary method of preventing the transmission of STIs. Additionally, awareness campaigns are targeted at increasing knowledge about preventing and managing STIs.

The Genitourinary clinic is the only public sexual health clinic in Malta, providing free consultations, STIs testing and care to everyone independently from residence status. It operates in terms of absolute confidentiality and anonymity. The services expanded at community level with the launch of three Health and Wellbeing Clinics in primary care, offering free STI testing and treatment (more information available at Sexual Health)

Recent Initiatives

The National Sexual Health Strategy 2025–2030, published in December 2024, aims to strengthen and integrate health services, focusing on prevention and evidence-based interventions. The strategy includes conducting a situation analysis to inform policy priorities and engaging with stakeholders in the field. (available at National_Sexual_Health_Strategy_2025_2030.pdf)

The Reach out project -integrated community healthcare for hard to reach populations (Reach Out Europe) is an EU funded project that aims to improve global health outcomes for migrants and disadvantaged populations in Italy, Malta, and Greece by providing prevention, early detection, and access to care for STIs/HIV and Tuberculosis. The project will also promote stakeholders’ cooperation and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and TB among the general public, migrants, professionals, institutions, and organizations, using digital technology and social media to develop a targeted communication campaign about existing services and STIs/HIV education and prevention.

Publications indexed in PubMed

Padovese Valeska - Search Results - PubMed

Links