Pregnancy, Maternity and Children's Healthcare in Malta

Public antenatal and maternity care is available to people confirmed as entitled to Malta public healthcare; private obstetric care is a separate paid/insured route. Confirm entitlement and register early—especially if moving during pregnancy—rather than arriving at the delivery unit with unresolved records.

Moving while pregnant

1. Ask the current clinician for the full maternity record: estimated due date, scans, blood group, test results, medication, complications and previous pregnancy/delivery history.
2. Confirm public entitlement with the Entitlement Unit or obtain private maternity cover. Most private policies have waiting periods and will not cover an already established pregnancy.
3. Contact a Malta health centre/GP or private obstetrician promptly for referral and a local care plan.
4. Ask where routine checks, scans, blood tests and delivery will occur. Mater Dei is the main public acute maternity hospital; Gozo residents should confirm the local/referral arrangement.
5. Join Parentcraft or another evidence-based birth/feeding preparation service if desired.
6. Save the Central Delivery Suite/emergency instructions given by the maternity team; call 112 for a life-threatening emergency.

Public versus private

Public care normally follows the referral and hospital-clinic pathway. Private care may offer direct choice of obstetrician and appointment timing, but fees and hospital arrangements must be confirmed. Ask whether a private consultant would deliver in a public or private facility, who covers them out of hours and what happens if the baby needs neonatal intensive care.

After birth and children's care

Before discharge, confirm newborn screening, hearing checks, feeding support, birth-registration steps, follow-up and warning signs. Register the baby with the family's healthcare/insurance route rather than assuming the parent's coverage automatically extends.

For a child relocating later, bring:

• Birth and identity/residence documents
• Vaccination record with dates, product names and translated medical terms where needed
• Growth, allergy, diagnosis and hospital summaries
• Current prescriptions and school care plans
• Specialist reports and imaging results

A health-centre GP or paediatric route can reconcile the vaccination record with Malta's schedule and arrange referrals. Private paediatricians can usually be booked directly.

Ask the school who holds emergency medicine, what written plan is required and which staff are trained. Do not leave asthma, allergy, epilepsy or diabetes instructions only in an admissions email.

Read healthcare entitlement when moving and private insurance alongside this guide.

Last reviewed: 9 August 2026. Care is individual; contact a Malta clinician promptly for pregnancy, newborn or paediatric decisions.