Most visits to Malta go without a hitch, but when something does go wrong — a swimming accident, a stolen wallet, a sudden illness in the heat — the last thing you want to be doing is Googling in a panic. This page gives you the numbers and the practical context: which hospital to go to, what the coastguard actually does, where to find a late-night pharmacy, and what you can realistically expect to pay if you need medical treatment. Knowing this before you need it is the whole point.
Malta is a small country with a single main public hospital, a smaller one on Gozo, and a cluster of private clinics that vary considerably in quality and price. The emergency infrastructure is solid for the size of the islands, but it gets stretched in summer, and the system has quirks that catch visitors off guard. Read through this once and you will be considerably better prepared than most tourists who land here.
112 is the single European emergency number and it works across Malta, Gozo and Comino. Dial it for police, ambulance or fire. It works from any mobile phone, including one with no SIM card or no credit. If you are calling from a foreign number, do not worry — the operator will speak English. Malta has two official languages and English is used throughout emergency services without exception.
When you call 112, speak slowly, give your location first, and stay on the line. In Malta, giving a location is sometimes harder than it sounds. Street numbering is inconsistent, and in rural areas or on the coast there may be no obvious address. If you are near a village, name it. If you are on a beach, name it. Better still, have your phone's GPS location ready to read out — most smartphones will show coordinates in the Maps app if you tap your current position.
A few numbers that sit alongside 112 and are worth saving separately:
Save 112 in your phone before you travel. Seriously — most people assume they will remember it under stress, and they do not.
Mater Dei Hospital in Msida is the main public hospital and the place you will be taken in a serious emergency on Malta. It is a large, modern facility by European standards — built in 2007 and significantly better equipped than the old St Luke's it replaced. The accident and emergency department is open around the clock. Address: Triq Dun Karm, Msida. It is directly accessible by several bus routes; if you are travelling independently, buses from Valletta take roughly 15–20 minutes.
On Gozo, Gozo General Hospital (also called Sir Anthony Mamo Oncology Centre on some signs, though the general hospital is a separate building on the same site) is in Victoria, the island's capital. It handles emergencies on Gozo, but for serious trauma or complex surgical cases, patients are transferred to Mater Dei — which means a road journey to Mgarr, a ferry crossing, and an ambulance on the Malta side. If you are in a life-threatening situation on Gozo, that transfer chain is a real factor. The hospital number is +356 2344 6000.
Private clinics are available and can be faster for minor injuries and non-emergency consultations. Saint James Hospital in Żejtun and Saint James Capua Hospital in Sliema are the two most commonly used by visitors. Expect to pay upfront or produce insurance documentation. A GP consultation at a private clinic typically runs €15–€50; specialist consultations and any procedures cost considerably more. Keep receipts for everything — your insurer will need them.
For non-emergency illnesses — sunburn, an infected cut, gastroenteritis — walk-in GP clinics in the tourist areas (Sliema, St Julian's, Bugibba) are a reasonable first port of call and cheaper than a hospital visit. Ask your accommodation to recommend one rather than picking blindly from Google.
Call 112 for anything urgent. For everything else — reporting a theft, a lost passport, or a minor road incident — use the non-emergency line 2122 4001 or go in person to the nearest police station.
The main police stations visitors are likely to need:
If your passport is stolen, you need a police report before you can go to your embassy. Do this promptly — the British High Commission, Irish Embassy and other missions will want to see a dated report. The Maltese police are generally helpful with tourist incidents, though station staffing outside business hours can be thin at smaller posts.
Car break-ins, bag snatches and phone theft do happen, particularly in Paceville and around beach areas in summer. It is not rampant, but it is not unknown either. Report any theft even if you think nothing will come of it — you need the report number for insurance purposes.
One thing visitors frequently get wrong: you cannot report a crime online in Malta the way you might in the UK. You need to go in person or phone the non-emergency line. Allow time for this — it can take longer than you expect.
The Armed Forces of Malta Maritime Squadron handles search and rescue at sea. In a sea emergency, call 112 (the single European emergency number, free from any phone), which routes directly to the Armed Forces of Malta rescue coordination centre. You can also reach them on VHF Channel 16 if you are on a vessel with a radio.
If you are in difficulty in the water, do not assume someone onshore will call for help — do it yourself or get someone specific to do it. Bystanders in busy beach areas often assume someone else has already called.
A few practical points about sea emergencies in Malta:
For anything involving a private boat charter, check that the operator is licensed by Transport Malta. An unlicensed operator with no radio and no safety equipment is a genuine risk, not just a technicality.
Pharmacies (spiżeriji) in Malta are useful first stops for minor medical issues. Pharmacists here are well trained and often give practical advice that saves you a trip to a clinic. Most pharmacies are open Monday to Saturday, roughly 09:00–13:00 and 16:00–19:00, and on Sunday mornings. Outside those hours, a rota system operates — the Superintendent of Public Health's website lists which pharmacy is on duty each night, and this is also posted on the door of most pharmacies. Alternatively, call 112 and ask.
Do not assume you can simply walk into a pharmacy at any hour. Malta is not a country where 24-hour pharmacies are on every corner. Plan ahead if you need regular medication.
Other numbers worth having:
If you or someone you are travelling with is struggling with their mental health, 179 is the most direct route. Staff are trained, the line is free, and it operates around the clock. There is no shame in calling it — it is there precisely for moments like that.
Malta is an EU member state, which means that holders of a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) — or the UK's Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) — are entitled to access public healthcare on the same terms as Maltese nationals. In practice, this means emergency treatment at Mater Dei or Gozo General is covered without upfront payment. However, this does not mean everything is free: if you are admitted as an inpatient and require non-urgent procedures, there may be costs, and the card does not cover private treatment at all.
British visitors: your GHIC works in Malta. If you still have an old EHIC issued before Brexit, check its expiry date — many have now lapsed. VisitMalta's official health information page has current guidance on what is covered.
Travel insurance remains essential regardless. The GHIC does not cover:
If you need treatment at a private clinic without insurance, budget accordingly. A consultation is typically €15–€50. An X-ray adds €50–120 on top. A night in a private hospital room can run to several hundred euros. Without insurance, a moderate accident could easily cost €1,000–3,000 before you factor in any specialist care or repatriation. Buying travel insurance before you fly is not optional; it is the sensible cost of travelling.
For EU visitors, your EHIC from your home country works in Malta as elsewhere in the EU. Check the card's expiry date before travel.
If you need to contact your embassy in an emergency, the British High Commission in Malta is at Whitehall Mansions, Ta' Xbiex — reachable on +356 2323 0000. For after-hours genuine emergencies, the FCDO has a 24-hour line: +44 (0)20 7008 5000. Other nationalities should note their own embassy contacts before travelling; not every country has a resident mission in Malta, and some are covered from Rome or Brussels.
For further general travel preparation information for Malta, VisitMalta maintains an up-to-date official travel information section worth bookmarking.
Hotel "assistance" for non-emergencies. Many hotels will offer to call a doctor for you and arrange a house visit. Some of these are legitimate; some involve a significant markup on the consultation fee, and a few use doctors whose primary interest is upselling treatments. If you are not in an emergency, call a clinic directly rather than going through the hotel. Ask the price before anyone arrives.
Unofficial first aid "guides" on beach routes. On some popular swimming routes you will encounter people offering to accompany you or give safety briefings for a tip. They are not official, they are not trained, and they do not add meaningful safety. Ignore them.
Buying travel insurance at the airport. The booths at Malta International Airport sell policies that are invariably more expensive than what you would have paid online before flying. If you have somehow arrived without cover, it is still worth buying — but it should never be the plan.
Waiting for your accommodation to sort things out. In a genuine emergency, do not spend time briefing a receptionist and waiting for them to make calls on your behalf. Call 112 yourself, immediately. Every minute spent on intermediaries in a real emergency is a minute lost.
112 — it works from any phone, with or without credit, and connects you to police, ambulance and fire.
Yes, for public hospital treatment at Mater Dei or Gozo General on the same terms as Maltese nationals. It does not cover private clinics or repatriation.
Mater Dei Hospital in Msida — open 24 hours, reachable by bus from Valletta in roughly 15–20 minutes.
Call 112, or dial 121 from a mobile if you are at sea. On a vessel with a radio, use VHF Channel 16.
Not in the conventional sense. A duty pharmacy rota operates — check the notice on any pharmacy door, or call 112 to ask which is open.
You go to Gozo General Hospital in Victoria. For serious trauma, patients are transferred to Mater Dei on Malta, which involves a ferry crossing — factor that into your awareness of the risk if you are doing anything physically hazardous on Gozo.