Sexual health survey ‘a huge step forward’ – GU clinic director

Dr Philip Carabott, director of the GU clinic in Boffa Hospital, Floriana, has described a prospective nationwide sex survey as a huge step in the right direction.

"This is extremely important, in that for the first time we will hopefully have a real snapshot of what's going on at ground level," he said when contacted yesterday.

Carabott, an outspoken sexual health specialist who has often been critical of the health division's policies in the past, added that the proposed survey is only one of a number of new developments that suggest a change in government policy in recent months.

"In the coming weeks the genito-urinary clinic will migrate to Mater Dei Hospital. Also, the health division has just issued a call for applications for a doctor trainee to specialise in genito-urinary medicine, which indicates that we are planning for the future."

Similarly, Dr Carabott stresses that the information arising from this survey should be instrumental in the development of future sexual health strategies.

"Over the years we have based our views only on what we see at the GU clinic. This could be an accurate reflection of reality... but then again it might not be.

"Once we have the results we should have a much better idea of where the real problems lie, and therefore of how energetic we should be in our campaigns."

As an example, he cites the current lack of statistical data regarding sexual behaviour as part of the problem when it comes to identifying target groups.

"For instance - and I stress this is only an example - if the results reveal that the young gay category is larger than we previously supposed, it would help us develop a more effective strategy based on more accurate, detailed information."

All this marks a welcome departure from previous attitudes to the same subject. Efforts to launch a sexual health policy in the past were hampered by tacit (and sometimes outspoken) resistance. Individual initiatives - among them, questionnaires circulated in schools - had occasionally been suppressed, and an early draft version of the policy itself once had all reference to 'condoms' deleted from the text.

These and other instances often proved exasperating to health specialists like Dr Carabott, who have been lobbying for a more hands-on approach to such issues for years.

At one point, he was effectively ordered to stop talking to the press by former Health Minister John Dalli, following complaints over the lack of a clear sexual health policy.

However, this time round there appears to have been little or no resistance to the new initiatives.

"The launch of the policy last year, coupled with the forthcoming questionnaire and other indications, suggest that there is now the necessary political will to move forward," Carabott said.