Birkirkara Health Centre opening hours for doctor and nursing services are as follows:

Catchment area

Birkirkara Health Centre offers its services mainly to residents of Birkirkara, Iklin, Lija and Balzan.

Services offered include:

Anticoagulant Clinic
Diabetes Clinic
Diabetes Shared Care Ophthalmic Clinic
Dietitian
ECG Clinic
General Practitioner Services (walk-in clinic, repeat prescription clinic)
Gynaecology and Obstetric Clinic
Immunisation Services
Medical Consultant Clinic
Nursing Services
Ophthalmic Clinic
Physiotherapy Clinic
Podiatry Clinic
Port-a-Cath Service
Schedule V Clinic
Speech Language Pathology

Community Clinics ​

The following peripheral clinics fall under the jurisdiction of Birkirkara Health Centre:
-Balzan
-Iklin
-Lija
-Gharghur

A general practitioner and a nurse are in attendance. These clinics run by an appointment system. This service provides repeat prescriptions, blood pressure monitoring and general medical advice. (Each clinic caters for clients residing in their respective area as per ID card locality.)

More detailed information about the above services offered:

Anticoagulant Clinic POC (Point of Care)

Patients on long term Warfarin treatment may benefit from INR testing in the specialised Point of Care(POC) clinic.
A finger prick blood sample is taken. The result is immediately available and the patient is given a prescription with the required Warfarin dose.
Patients need to have a stable INR level to be eligible to attend POC and be referred by the Health Centre GPs or Consultants.
Clinic runs on: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday by appointment.

Dietitian​

The Dietician Clinic is run by a Healthcare Professional licensed to assess, diagnose and treat nutritional related disorders. These include:

-​​Malnutrition
-Obesity
-Diabetes
-Renal problems
-Hepatic problems
-Food allergies and intolerance
-Difficulty in swallowing
-Heart-related conditions including hypertension and hyperlipidemia​​​

The service is offered as a one-to-one consultation during which meal plans based on the patient’s nutritional requirements are devised

Attendance:

-A doctor’s referral is required for an appointment.
-​Patients are to present the referral at the reception desk. An appointment will be booked by the dietician at Birkirkara Health Centre.
​
​Clinic Schedule:

Available on Wednesday afternoon.

Diabetes Clinic

This clinic is open Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday mornings by appointment.

You may be referred to this clinic by the Health Centre Doctor, your family doctor or from Diabetes Clinic Mater Dei Hospital.

For your first visit you will receive an appointment notice by post.

Follow-up appointments are given during visits.

ECG clinic

This clinic is open on alternate Mondays from 8am to 2pm.

You will be referred for an ECG by your doctor who has to fill in a ticket of referral to a Government hospital/health centre, or by the Health Centre doctor who has to fill in a Health Centre ECG request form.

ECGs are taken only by appointment except in emergencies.

Please phone the Health Centre reception desk for an appointment between 10am and 7pm on weekdays.

The consultant physician will issue a report on your ECG, and you will have a follow-up appointment to review the ECG.

General Practitioner Services

No appointment is needed.

Open Monday to Friday, from 8am to 8pm. Saturdays 8am to 1pm.

Saturday after 1pm, Sundays and Public Holidays, urgent GP services from Mosta Health Centre.

An appointment is required for repeat prescriptions. Please bring the green Treatment Card with your updated current treatment together with POYC vouchers/card.

Gynecologic and Obstetric Clinic

This clinic operates on alternate Fridays by appointment, receiving referrals by the health center GPs as well as GPs working in private practice.

To make an appointment for gynaecological consultation, please present a Ticket of Referral at the health centre’s reception desk any day of the week.

For an antenatal or postnatal visit, please phone on the clinic day and ask for Gynae clinic nurses.

Please bring with you your Identity Card, appointment booklet and any relevant documents.

Telephone 21231231 / 21222444

Immunisation Services

Opening hours (by appointment) on ​
Mondays and Thursdays 7.30am to 1.30pm​
Please call the Health Centre for an appointment during clinic hours. No referrals are needed.

You are requested to bring the immunisation record for the nurse to update. Please bring the “baby book” you have been given at the postnatal ward.

Scheduled childhood immunisations recommended by the Department for persons considered at risk are given free of charge.

Children who miss out on their immunisation for Hepatitis B and MMR carried out in schools can receive such immunisation at this clinic.​

Medical Consultant Clinic

This clinic is open on Mondays from 8am to 12pm.
You may be referred to this clinic by the Health Centre doctor or your Family Doctor.
To make an appointment, please present the referral ticket at the reception desk. This will be vetted by the Consultant Physician and you will be contacted back and an appointment date given.
Appointments for follow-ups are given as indicated by the physician according to clinical need.

Nursing Services

Open on Monday to Friday from 7am to 8pm, Saturdays from 7am to 2pm and Sundays and Public Holidays from 7am to 8pm.

Appointments required for:
-Blood taking for tests
-​Ear syringing
-Wound review / Removal of sutures: Monday-Friday 10.00am-6.30pm, Saturday 10.00am-1.00pm, Sundays and Public Holidays 7.30am-6.30pm
-Blood glucose(capillary) testing
-Leg ulcer Clinic

Ophthalmic Clinic

Ophthalmic General:
Once weekly, Tuesdays 8am-1pm. Ophthalmologist in attendance, by appointment.

Glaucoma Screening (Nurse led Clinic):
Mondays and every alternate Thursdays, 8am-1pm. No referral needed, one may self refer.
Mainly intended for patients over 40 years of age, or family history of glaucoma.

Glaucoma Clinic:
Alternate Thursdays, 8am-midday.
Ophthalmologist in attendance, by appointment.
Patients are referred from Glaucoma Screening Clinic.

Diabetes Retinopathy Screening:
Fridays 8am-1pm
Patients from Birkirkara Health Centre catchment area are presently being seen at Mosta Health Centre. This Clinic is part of the Diabetes Shared Care Clinic. Patients may be referred from the Diabetes clinic, Health centre Doctors or Private GPs

Physiotherapy Clinic

Clinic hours:
Appointments for physiotherapy services are available
-Monday to Friday 7:45 to 14:00
-Alternate Saturdays 7:45 to 11:30
-Afternoon sessions are available in Bkara health centre.

Appointments
Appointments may be made by phone on 21231231 / 21222444 from 7:30 to 14:00 or by visiting the health centre with the referral.
Only clients who are 16+ and have a musculoskeletal condition are eligible to attend physiotherapy clinics at health centres.

The physiotherapy service offers exercise classes:
-Movement and Physical Activity classes to increase mobility, strength, balance and fall prevention.
-Weight management exercise classes
-Adult Down syndrome exercise classes

Educational Talks
-Informative talks for the elderly
-Back care talks for school children
-Arthritis and back care talks in towns and villages

For further information please phone 21231231 / 21222444​

Podiatry Clinic

This clinic is open from Monday to Friday from 8am to 2pm and Saturdays 8am to 12.30pm.
Please call for an appointment between 10am to 1.30pm weekdays, 10am to 12.30pm Saturdays.
Services offered:
-Routine Podiatry clinic offering treatment for corns, verrucas or diabetic assessments on Mondays till Saturdays, a referral ticket is not required.
-Foot scan clinic on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Referral ticket is needed from any Health Care Professional.
-Vascular assessment clinic on Tuesday and Fridays. Referral ticket is needed from any Health Care Professional.
-Nail Surgery clinic on Mondays and Thursdays. Referral ticket is needed from any Health Care Professional.
-Podopaediatric clinic from Mondays till Saturdays. . A referral ticket is not required.
-Rheumatoid clinic every Tuesday from 8am till 5pm. Referral ticket needed from any Health Care Professional.
Follow-up appointments are set according to clinical need.
Routine cutting of toenails is performed only for High Risk patients, for any active nail pathologies, over 75 years old, or as deemed necessary by the podiatrist.

For an appointment call on 21231231 / 21222444

Port-a-Cath Service

Port-a-Caths are being used more commonly in clients requiring long-term treatment for various health conditions including oncology and haematology conditions. Many clients who have a port-a-cath in situ can keep the line for several years, often well beyond the treatment period.

This service which is given on Sunday mornings includes maintenance of the port-a-caths by flushing with heparin to ensure patency of the line by trained nursing staff.

The client is to bring the information booklet supplied from SAMOC with them to every appointment for documentation purposes.

Client’s who do not have a backflow or whose port-a-cath is not patent will be referred back to SAMOC.

Schedule V Clinic

This clinic is open every third Saturday from 8am to 12pm.​

You may be referred to this clinic by the Health Centre doctor or family doctor.

Schedule V cards issued from the Departments of Surgery, Gynaecology, Ophthalmology and Psychiatry at Mater Dei Hospital can only be renewed by the same department and cannot be renewed at the Health Centre.

If you are still attending the Medical Outpatients Clinic at Mater Dei Hospital on a regular basis, your Schedule V card issue and renewal should be obtained from your consultant at the Medical Outpatients and not from the Health Centre.

A consultant physician will assess your claim for entitlement and will initiate the procedure required to supply you with a Schedule V card, which will entitle you to receive free medication. One cannot collect medicines before receiving the card.

Speech Language Pathology

This clinic is open from Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 3:30pm. Self referrals are accepted.

Telephone
22774792

Suggestions and Complaints

Please contact the below mentioned administration staff regarding any suggestions and complaints one might have:

Dr Mario Grixti
Principal General Practitioner

Ms Valerie Gatt
Charge Nurse

Mr. Godwin Lughermo
Charge Nurse