The European Health Insurance card will now be automatically renewed, Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament on Monday.

In answering a parliamentary question by PL MP Ray Abela, Fearne said that unlike before, where the European Health Insurance card had to be physically renewed, it will now be automatically renewed.

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is the passport to free or reduced emergency necessary cost for medical treatment in public hospitals needed during temporary visits in European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland.

The card is valid for five years.

The minister explained how cards expiring before 1 March 2023 will not be benefitting from this reform.

He said that in total there are 170,000 Maltese citizens benefitting from this card, adding that just for last year there were a total of 2,000 Maltese nationals who made use of such services.