The opening of a new Lifestyle Clinic in Tarxien is a show of the government’s commitment to strengthen primary healthcare services, Parliamentary Secretary Chris Fearne said this morning.

The Lifestyle Clinic is situated at the Tarxien health clinic, which has been devolved to the Local Council. Managed by the council in partnership with the Health Department, it will offer holistic lifestyle advice that would lead to the prevention of certain non-communicable diseases.

Mr Fearne said 80% of deaths in Malta are caused by non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Around 10% of Maltese people have diabetes, 30% suffer from high blood pressure and over half are obese. Up to a thousand people die of cardiovascular disease each year and around 900 die of cancer. “40% of heart diseases can be prevented by measures like stopping smoking and reducing salt. All these are related to lifestyle and that is what the role of the Lifestyle Clinics is,” Mr Fearne said.

Currently there are other Lifestyle Clinics in Gudja, Zabbar, Zurrieq, San Gwann, Gzira and Msida but the plan if for these centres to be spread around all of Malta and Gozo, Mr Fearne said. “Our aim is to increase prevention by giving advice on healthier lifestyles.”

Initially, people visiting the centre will be asked a series of questions about their lifestyle and undergo a 45-minute assessment of their health and lifestyle. Any serious issues would be referred to professionals and patients would also be followed up at the centre.

Mr Fearne also said that patient contacts at the primary healthcare level are expected to increase by 5% this year to around 1,700,000 contacts – or 5,000 a day. The Parliamentary Secretary said 111,000 people visited the health clinics known as ‘bereg’ last year.

Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Buontempo said the government wanted local councils to be closer to the people, more efficient and more effective. Local Councils are currently administering 9 ‘bereg’. Some 9,000 people visited these clinics last year.

Tarxien Mayor Paul Farrugia explained that a number of services, including speech therapy, were already being offered by the council-administered Tarxien clinic.