Health minister launches long-overdue national sexual health policy

Between 2000 and 2009, 936 babies were born to Maltese mothers under 18 years of age. According to the National Statistics Office, these amount to just under 2.5% of all babies delivered over the 10 year period. 5% (47) of all teenage mothers were 15-year-olds and younger.

This, coupled with a widespread liberalisation in sexual attitudes, has called for the need of a sexual health policy, health minister Joe Cassar said today.

“This policy will inform the development of a sexual health strategy, which would in turn identify a set of targets, goals, measures and deliverables for our nation regarding sexual health,” Health Minister Joe Cassar said.

Cassar said the document draws on a set of principles of individual and social rights and responsibilities of the human being.

“It underpins the values of respect and dignity towards human life from the moment of conception and the belief that the stable family unit is the cornerstone of a healthy society, respectful of social, sexual, religious and cultural diversity,” he said.

Describing the national sexual health policy as “long-awaited for”, Cassar said he was proud and privileged to be launching it. “Sexual health in as integral element of the health of all human beings, and thus merits much attention,” Cassar claimed.

Cassar said the policy seeks to promote sexual health as an “essential and integral element of human well being.” “Categorically it is not exclusively about contraception, or disease prevention, but about the enhancement of an important dimension of human health – sexual health,” he said.

“I want to clarify that this is a policy and not a strategy and I hope everyone understands the difference. On politics we are going to build a strategy and we are going to do this together.”

A series of live workshops with the participation and contribution of all entities will complement the publication of this policy. “It would have been arrogant if we had imposed our beliefs on others,” Cassar said. “We still have to build a strong scientific research which will lead us to take informed decisions on a strategy directed at the realities of our country.”

Giving an overall view of the policy, Health Director Ray Busuttil said the policy highlights seven indicators of sexual health.

These include: social and behavioural indicators of sexual health, monitoring and surveillance policies, legislation, medical and health services, sexuality and relationships education, research , evaluation and quality assurance policies and future considerations.

Amongst others, Busuttil called for a “one-stop-shop” sexual health service approach. “Currently there are a number of key stakeholders in sexual health care provision within both the public and the private health sectors,” he said. “A sexual health clinic would migrate all the currently prevalent services into a single clinic.”

Busuttil said the policy also addresses future considerations. “Increased people migration across countries is bringing to light the importance of cultural competence across all sectors and the importance of acknowledging the needs of evolving multicultural societies.”

Busuttil said that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is one of many realities arising around sexual health which needs to be addressed in Malta. “Government needs to establish a framework which will be responsible for the detection of the specific needs of minorities within the population of Malta.”