The Maltese archipelago lies virtually at the centre of the Mediterranean, with Malta 93km south of Sicily and 288km north of Africa. The archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino with a total population of just over 400,000 inhabitants over an area of 316sq km and a coastline of 196.8km (not including 56.01 km for the island of Gozo) making Malta one of the most densely populated countries.

Malta retains membership in the Commonwealth of Nations; and till today still retains still very close connections with Britain; in fact the political, health, educational and civil service systems are practically identical to that of the UK. Malta is a member of the United Nations (since 1964) and a member of the European Union (since 2004) and is also party to the Schengen Agreement (since 2007): Thereafter in 2008, Malta adopted the Euro as its formal currency, and is hence within the Euro zone, subject to all its rules and regulations.

With superbly sunny weather, expansive beaches, a thriving nightlife and 7,000 years of intriguing history, there is a great deal to see and do.  It is the climate, which undoubtedly has made Malta a major tourist destination in the heart of the Mediterranean. The total annual rainfall being 50cm with an average winter temperature of
13 °C and summer highs of 45°C. There are really only two seasons in Malta: the mild winter season followed by a welcomed dry summer season.
 
The Maltese Islands are positively mythic. The prehistoric temples and grand palaces are but a few of the architectural gems Malta has to offer. It is for this reason that the Islands have rightly been described as an open-air museum.

The long relationship between the Islanders and the various nationalities that occupied Malta over the centuries has created a marriage of styles and traditions, giving the Islands a fascinating eclectic culture. For further information about the Maltese Islands kindly visit the Malta Tourism Authority Official Website.

Malta has a long history of providing publicly funded health care. Malta has both a public healthcare system, known as the government healthcare service, where healthcare is free at the point of delivery, and a private healthcare system. Malta has a strong general practitioner-delivered primary care base and the public hospitals provide secondary and tertiary care.

Malta was ranked fifth worldwide, in the World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems, compared to the United States (at 37), United Kingdom (at 18) and Canada (at 30). The healthcare system in Malta closely resembles the British system, as healthcare is free at the point of delivery.

Hospitals; The Mater Dei Hospital, inaugurated in November 2009, is Malta's primary hospital, and one of the largest, most modern and well equipped medical buildings in Europe. Apart from this main hospital, a number of other government hospitals in Malta include:

In addition, Malta has three major private hospitals, which are:

Smaller health centers are found around the island, mainly in the prominent and larger villages.

Pharmacies; There are a total of 214 pharmacies; 200 in Malta and 14 pharmacies in Gozo.

Healthcare profession; The Maltese healthcare profession is made up of doctors, nurses, midwives,
physiotherapists, occupational therapists and podiatrists among others. These are all trained locally via the Malta Medical School and Institute of Healthcare both of which are strongly influenced by English medical schools. There are also intense collaboration and training schemes between the two countries, and frequent exchanges of key specialists coming over from the UK, for specialised sessions.

Doctors in Malta may be divided into two categories;