Chapter 124 – Venereal Diseases (Treatment) Act
What is this act about?
This law provides for the treatment of venereal diseases and outlines the duties of medical practitioners and the Chief Government Medical Officer in managing these diseases. It also sets out penalties for non-compliance and for providing false information.
Who it applies to: Patients suffering from venereal diseases (gonorrhoea, syphilis, or chancroid); Special practitioners (medical officers in charge of venereal diseases departments or recognized medical practitioners).
At a glance
- Country
- Malta
- Area of law
- Criminal law
- Articles
- 11
- Source
- legislation.mt
- Text retrieved
- Explanation updated
What does this act regulate?
- The duty of special practitioners to notify the Chief Government Medical Officer about patients with venereal diseases and suspected sources of infection.
- The process for the Chief Government Medical Officer to require individuals suspected of spreading venereal disease to undergo medical examination and treatment.
- The conditions under which a magistrate can order the admission and detention of a contact in a hospital for treatment.
- Penalties for failing to comply with examination or treatment requirements, providing false information, and breaching confidentiality.
Who does this act apply to?
- Patients suffering from venereal diseases (gonorrhoea, syphilis, or chancroid).
- Special practitioners (medical officers in charge of venereal diseases departments or recognized medical practitioners).
- The Chief Government Medical Officer and medical officers deputed by him.
- Individuals suspected of being a source of venereal disease infection ("contacts").
What are the key points?
- Special practitioners must notify the Chief Government Medical Officer about patients with venereal disease and suspected sources of infection, unless there is no reasonable cause to believe the disease was contracted from the suspected person.
- Before seeking detailed information about the source of infection, special practitioners must explain confidentiality and potential penalties for false statements.
- The Chief Government Medical Officer can require individuals from whom two or more patients suspect they contracted a venereal disease to attend for medical examination.
- Failure to attend or submit to medical examination or treatment carries a fine of not less than €46.59 but not exceeding €232.94, or imprisonment for one to three months, or both.
- Giving false information about the source of infection carries a fine of not less than €46.59 but not exceeding €232.94, or imprisonment for one to three months, or both.
- Disclosure of information obtained under this Act, outside of its execution, can lead to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine of not less than €232.94 but not exceeding €465.87, or both.
- All judicial proceedings under this Act must be held with closed doors.
Criminal law
Legal text
Legal text
VENEREAL DISEASES (TREATMENT)
CHAPTER 124
VENEREAL DISEASES (TREATMENT) ACT To make provision for the treatment of Venereal Diseases. (27th December, 1948)* ACT LVIII of 1948, as amended by Legal Notice 46 of 1965; Acts: LVIII of 1974, XXII of 1976 and XIII of 1983; and Legal Notice 409 of 2007.
Art. 1
The short title of this Act is the Venereal Diseases (Treatment) Act.
Art. 2
In this Act - "clearance certificate" means, in relation to any person, a certificate in writing given by the medical officer contemplated in subsection (1) of section 6 of this Act, certifying that that person does not, at the date of the certificate, show signs of venereal disease in a communicable form;
Short title.
Interpretation.
Amended by:
XXII. 1976.4. "prescribed" means as prescribed by the Chief Government Medical Officer; "special practitioner" means the medical officer in charge of the venereal diseases department of the hospital or his assistant, or any medical practitioner recognized by the Chief Government Medical Officer as a special practitioner for the purposes of this Act; "treatment" includes any periodical or other medical examination; "venereal disease" means gonorrhoea, syphilis or chancroid.
Art. 3
Subject to the provisions contained in section 4 of this Act, any special practitioner who receives from a patient found by him to be suffering from a venereal disease information as to a person from whom the patient suspects that the disease was contracted shall, unless, having regard to the time at which sexual relations between the parties are alleged to have taken place and any other information before him, the practitioner is of opinion that there is no reasonable cause to believe that the disease was so contracted, send a notice in the prescribed form to the Chief Government Medical Officer giving the prescribed particulars as to the patient and the disease from which the patient is suffering and as to the person from whom it is suspected that the disease was contracted.
Special practitioner’s duty in certain circumstances to notify the Chief Government Medical Officer of certain particulars relating to a patient suffering from venereal disease.
Art. 4
He shall also inform the patient of his liability to severe penalties if he should make a statement or furnish information as to the suspected source of infection which he knows or has reasonable Conditions and limitations of the duty specified in section 3. *See Government Notice No. 816 of 28th December, 1948.
VENEREAL DISEASES (TREATMENT) cause to believe to be false in a material particular.
Duty of the Chief Government Medical Officer on receipt by him of a notice sent under section 3.
Art. 5
Clearance certificates and treatment notices.
Art. 6
Magistrate may order admission into, and detention in, a hospital of a contact.
Art. 7
Whenever the medical officer deputed for the purpose hereunder by the Chief Government Medical Officer reports in writing that he is of opinion that a contact, who is reasonably suspected by him of continuing to spread infection, requires special VENEREAL DISEASES (TREATMENT) treatment in hospital, the Chief Government Medical Officer may apply for an order by a magistrate directing that such contact be admitted into and detained in a hospital at the cost of the government for such a time, to be fixed in such order, or in a subsequent order or orders, as may appear to the magistrate, after having heard the opinion of the said medical officer, to be necessary to prevent the spread of venereal disease.
Art. 8
If, in contravention of the requirements of any notice under section 5 or of any treatment notice under section 6, a person or a contact, as the case may be, fails to attend for or submit to medical examination by the medical officer before whom that person is required to attend, or to comply with any directions given to the contact by such a medical officer, the latter shall forthwith report the circumstances in writing to the Chief Government Medical Officer, and that person or, as the case may be, that contact shall thereby be guilty of an offence under this Act, and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine (multa) of not less than forty-six euro and fifty-nine cents (46.59) but not exceeding two hundred and thirty-two euro and ninety-four cents (232.94) or to imprisonment for a term of from one to three months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
Penalties in respect of infringements of the provisions of sections 5 and 6.
Amended by:
XIII. 1983.5;
L.N. 409 of 2007.
Art. 9
Penalties in respect of false information maliciously given, and exemption from penalties in respect of false information given in good faith.
Amended by:
L.N. 46 of 1965;
LVIII. 1974.68;
XIII. 1983.4, 5;
L.N. 409 of 2007.
Art. 10
Art. 11
Secrecy in respect of information given under the provisions of this Act and penalties in respect of breaches of that secrecy.
Amended by:
XIII. 1983.4, 5;
L.N. 409 of 2007.
Proceedings to be held with closed doors.