Key points
- The 2021 census counted 31,308 residents in Sliema and St Julian's together, and 15,359 of them, 49.1%, were non-Maltese.1
- Private medical clinics in Malta are licensed by the Health Care Standards Directorate under the Private Medical Clinics licensing regulations, S.L. 458.23.5
- Malta's Data Protection Act, Chapter 586, took effect on 28 May 2018, and S.L. 586.10 treats health data processed for insurance business as being in the substantial public interest.4
- Maltese and English are both official languages, and just over a quarter of Maltese nationals in Sliema and St Julian's spoke English from early childhood.32
- wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic.
Summary
AI can draft notes and patient replies for a clinic in St Julian's or Sliema under GDPR and Malta's Data Protection Act, with a licence from the Health Care Standards Directorate and doctors registered with the Medical Council. Nearly half of local residents are non-Maltese, so replies drafted in the patient's language for the team to approve fit this coast closely.
Every patient on the seafront answered the same evening, in the language they wrote in, and every note signed before the doctor walks home along the promenade. Nearly half the residents of these two harbour towns hold another citizenship, and the clinics here run on that mix.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoIn fifteen minutes, follow a 22:10 WhatsApp from Sliema through to a booked 08:00 slot and a signed GP note.
| Body or rule | What it requires | What to ask | How wai meets it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health Care Standards Directorate, S.L. 458.23 | Licence for each private medical clinic, with inspection | Does the system keep the records an inspection asks for | Every message, draft, approval and signature logged and exportable |
| Medical Council Malta | Registration of every doctor under the Health Care Professions Act | Does a registered doctor sign every clinical note | AI drafts the note, the doctor reviews and signs it |
| IDPC, Data Protection Act Chapter 586 and S.L. 586.10 | Lawful basis and safeguards for health data, including insurance processing | Where is the data held and who processes it | Records hosted in the clinic's own country, subprocessors named with 30 days notice |
| Constitution of Malta, Article 5 | Maltese and English as official languages | Can the team answer in the language each patient writes in | Any language understood, every reply approved by a person |
The private care market in St Julian's and Sliema
On census day, 21 November 2021, Malta had 519,562 usual residents, and 115,449 of them were non-Maltese.1 Tas-Sliema counted 19,655 residents, of whom 9,605 were non-Maltese, and San Ġiljan counted 11,653, of whom 5,754 were non-Maltese.1
The two towns sit in the Northern Harbour district, home to 52,420 non-Maltese residents. The largest groups there were Italian at 5,910, Indian at 4,036, Filipino at 3,747 and British at 3,056.1 Non-Maltese residents of Sliema had an average age of 35.6, against 52.8 for Maltese residents, so the same clinic sees young professionals and an older local population.1
The rules a clinic in St Julian's and Sliema works under
The Health Care Standards Directorate regulates, inspects and licenses establishments whose services can affect public health, and private medical clinics are licensed under S.L. 458.23.5 Doctors register with the Medical Council Malta, whose functions are set out in the Health Care Professions Act of 2003.6
The Information and Data Protection Commissioner supervises Malta's Data Protection Act, Chapter 586, in force since 28 May 2018 alongside GDPR. Subsidiary Legislation 586.10 deems health data processing necessary for insurance business to be in the substantial public interest, with safeguards for the patient.4 That matters when the clinic prepares claims for a patient's insurer.
The government's myHealth portal lets patients view case summaries, results and appointments, and link to a doctor who is then notified when new data is available.7 wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic. wai is compliant with these rules and built for clinics in St Julian's and Sliema.
The languages patients write in
Article 5 of the Constitution makes Maltese the national language and Maltese and English the official languages.3 In Sliema and St Julian's just over a quarter of Maltese nationals aged five or more spoke English from early childhood, among the highest rates in Malta after Is-Swieqi at 37.7%.2
Half the residents hold another citizenship, so the inbox carries many more languages than the two official ones. wai works in any language, and the receptionist reads and approves each drafted reply before a patient sees it.9
What a demo shows in St Julian's and Sliema
An Italian resident in Sliema sends a WhatsApp message at 22:10 asking for a GP appointment before work. wai reads the doctors' busy times from Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, offers an 08:00 slot and drafts the reply in her language, and the receptionist approves it first thing. A missed call from a Paceville hotel guest the same night gets a drafted text for the team to send in the morning.
Both patients book on the clinic's own site in three taps and the deposits reach the clinic's own Stripe account in euros. wai drafts the consultation note and prepares the claim for the insurer, and the doctor reviews and signs the note. Every message, draft, approval and signature is logged and exportable.8
For health systems, insurers and public bodies in Malta
Private hospitals, insurers and Malta's public health services can commission a system on wai for one defined pathway, such as care for the island's international residents, with data and exit rights written into the contract. Scoping is described on the organisations page.
Where to start
First, keep your S.L. 458.23 clinic licence and each doctor's Medical Council registration on file with your supplier records. Second, write down the legal basis you rely on for health data, including the S.L. 586.10 basis if you prepare insurance claims. Third, set out which staff may approve messages and which clinicians sign notes.
Then gather a month of enquiries from Sliema and St Julian's patients, sorted by language, for a fifteen-minute demo. The missed-call guide shows what to measure. Pricing is published on the pricing page.
Bring a week of seafront WhatsApp messages and missed calls, and see the drafts your team would approve.
Frequently asked questions
Who licenses a private clinic in Sliema or St Julian's?
The Health Care Standards Directorate, which licenses private medical clinics under S.L. 458.23 and inspects licensed establishments.5
Who registers the doctors?
The Medical Council Malta, under the Health Care Professions Act of 2003.6
Which data protection law applies to a Maltese clinic?
GDPR and Malta's Data Protection Act, Chapter 586, supervised by the Information and Data Protection Commissioner.4
Can the clinic share health data with a patient's insurer?
S.L. 586.10 treats health data processing necessary for insurance business as being in the substantial public interest, with suitable safeguards for the patient.4
What is myHealth?
The government portal where patients view their case summaries, results and appointments and link to their doctor.7
Where are our records hosted?
wai hosts each clinic's records in its own country, under that country's rules. We set this up with your clinic.8
Sources
- 1National Statistics Office Malta, 2023Census of Population and Housing 2021, Final Report, Volume 1, population, migration and other social characteristics (tables 2.1, 2.2 and 2.4)Read 15 October 2026Read source
- 2National Statistics Office Malta, 2024Census of Population and Housing 2021, Final Report, health, education, employment and other characteristicsRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 3Legislation Malta, 2026Constitution of Malta, Article 5Read 15 October 2026Read source
- 4Information and Data Protection Commissioner, 2026Data protection legislation, the Data Protection Act and subsidiary legislationRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 5Government of Malta, 2025Health Care Standards Directorate, home pageRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 6Medical Council Malta, 2026Medical Council Malta, home pageRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 7Government of Malta, 2026myHealth portalRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 8wai, 2026Security at waiRead 15 October 2026Read source
- 9wai, 2026wai changelog, intake answered by voice in any languageRead 15 October 2026Read source
Seafront patients answered by breakfast, GP notes signed before the evening walk.
Fifteen minutes with a clinician who uses wai daily, on your own diary and payments. We reply within one working day.
Partner with us
See it on your own patients, then build it with us
Thirty minutes on your own patients, doctors and rules, in your market. We reply within one working day, and the clinics that partner with us early shape what we build next.
See what wai does between the visits