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As Health Inspectors within the Department of Public Health we are responsible for safeguarding the well-being and health of the public. We provide a valuable link between the public and the government to investigate and educate in order to adequately protect your health.

The Manager Health Inspector's Office (MHI) situated in Msida is responsible for the co-ordination of all services provided by Health Inspectors. This office may be contacted by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Manager Health Inspector's Office

37/39, Rue d'Argens

Msida MSD 05

The chartered sections within the Health Inspectorate are the five regions in Malta, Port Health Services and the Food Safety Unit.

The Health Inspectorate services offered by each of the five regions in Malta, are administered by a Regional Head Office and backed by a Subsidiary Office. Each office is responsible for the localities as listed below:

For your convenience please contact us at the offices under which your locality is listed. The following are the contact numbers of all Regional Offices and Subsidiary Offices within each region:

You may contact the St. Paul's Bay office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

North Region

509, Triq il-Kbira,

St. Paul's Bay

You may contact the Balzan office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Assistant Principal Health Inspector

North Region

153, Triq il-Kbira,

Balzan

You may contact the Birkirkara office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

East Region

c/o Civic Centre

Triq Tumas Fenech,

Birkirkara

You may contact the Sliema office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Assistant Principal Health Inspector

East Region

101, Triq Sir Adrian Dingli,

Sliema

You may contact the Tarxien office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

South Region

72, Triq Hal Tarxien,

Tarxien

You may contact the Vittoriosa office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Assistant Principal Health Inspector

South Region

57, Triq it-Torri ta' San Gwann,

Vittoriosa CSP 09

You may contact the Hamrun office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

Central Region

2, Triq l-iSkola,

Hamrun

You may contact the Zurrieq office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Assistant Principal Health Inspector

Central Region

8, Triq Santa Katerina,

Zurrieq

You may contact the Zebbug office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

West Region

2, Triq l-Angli,

Zebbug

You may contact the Rabat office of this region by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Assistant Principal Health Inspector

West Region

c/o Civic Centre

Rabat

You may contact this office by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

Port Health Services

2, Crucifix Hill,

Floriana

You may contact this office by:

• going personally or writing to the:

Principal Health Inspector

Food Safety Unit

St. Julians' Court

Blk. B, Flt. 18,

Triq Alphonse Maria Galea,

St. Julians

It should be noted that for the Food Safety Unit and the Port Health Services, their chartered services are Food Premises' Inspections and Complaints.

You may contact the Manager Health Inspector's Office, the Regional Offices at St. Paul's Bay, B'Kara, Tarxien, Hamrun and Zebbug, Port Health Services and the Food Safety Unit during the following times:

You may contact the Subsidiary Offices during the following hours, since at other times the Health Inspectors will be conducting on site inspections:

Outside these opening office hours, you may wish to contact the Department's Automated Service on telephone number 21 337333.

There are several units within the Health Inspectorate Services that are committed to:

• investigate Public Health issues

• reduce the incidence of communicable diseases and health hazards

• monitor the wholesomeness of food products

• monitor the quality of drinking and recreational water

• monitor hygiene at institutions

• ensure rodent control

• control the importation of foodstuffs

• supervise the proper interment of human remains

• issue drug control cards with respect to narcotic and psychotropic drugs (the Drug Control Unit has a separate charter)

• make recommendations to licensing authorities and issuing of licences pertaining to the Superintendent of Public Health.

This charter will focus on the following major services:

• Food premises' inspections

• Complaints' investigation.

Through this charter we are committing ourselves to providing you with a quality service with respect to these areas:

This service is aimed for operators of food premises.

The main objective of food premises' inspections (food control) is achieved by using a risk-assessment procedure. This is our primary tool for detecting practices that may be hazardous to consumers and for taking action to correct any food hygiene related deficiencies. These

investigations are also a means of recommending any improvements that you may be required to carry out in your outlet to be in line with local laws and regulations.

We carry out surprise inspections of food premises that include retail outlets, catering establishments, accommodation premises and other food premises. After each inspection your outlet will be given a grade from A to F (F denoting the lowest grade achievable). It is expected that all recommended improvements should be carried out within a specific time frame. In this case, this will help you to achieve a better grade in the subsequent inspection. Such a procedure ensures that your business is in conformity with current food laws.

During the inspections of food premises we will be:

• monitoring the hygiene and food handling practices

• recommending any improvements

• enforcing legislation.

During food premises' inspections, you may expect us to:

• show identification when requested

• be courteous and helpful at all times

• enforce laws and regulations without any prejudice

• be consistent in all our inspections

• maintain full confidentiality unless information is required by competent authorities

• be fully equipped to take samples, when necessary, that would assist us in proper food control

• inform you in writing within five working days of the grade that your outlet has achieved

• inform you in writing of improvements that need to be carried out in your outlet.

You can help us conduct successful inspections by:

• being present or authorising a contact person in your absence at all times

• being courteous and co-operative with us

• taking the corrective action in your outlet as recommended by the Health Inspectors.

You may lodge with us any public health related complaint which we are empowered by law to investigate. One of our top priorities is that we will do our utmost to investigate such complaints and ensure that appropriate corrective action is taken. You may lodge any complaint pertaining to the following:

• infiltration of drainage or water in public and private property

• sewage overflows and other leakages

• accumulation of refuse, debris, dung and stagnant water

• labelling, presentation and wholesomeness of foodstuffs

• hygienic conditions within food premises

• keeping of animals under unhygienic conditions.

If you need us to investigate a complaint on any of the above matters, you may:

go personally

• to the Complaints Administration Unit at the Manager Health Inspector's Office

• the Regional or Subsidiary Office under which your locality is listed on page *****

• to your local council

phone

• the Manager Health Inspector's Office

• the Regional or Subsidiary Office under which your locality is listed on page ****

fax

• the Manager Health Inspector's Office

• the Regional Office under which your locality is listed on page ****

send

• an e-mail to the Regional Office under which your locality is listed on page ****.

For your convenience we have also introduced a complaints investigation line and a complaints investigation e-mail. Therefore, you can also lodge a complaint by:

When you lodge a public health related complaint you may expect us to:

• conduct a thorough investigation of all complaints

• start the investigation on all complaints within three working days from the time the complaint is received

• be fully equipped to take samples, when necessary, to help facilitate the process of investigation

• acknowledge your complaint by the same medium through which your complaint is lodged. If in writing this will be mailed to you within two working days from date received while, if you refer a complaint by e-mail, the acknowledgement will be sent on the same day.

• keep you informed on the investigation of your complaint every twenty working days until the investigation is concluded, the case is taken to court or responsibility referred to other Departments. It is presumed that you require an acknowledgement or feedback to your complaint, unless you inform us otherwise.

We will investigate anonymous complaints with the same detail, but naturally in these cases we will not be able to acknowledge or provide feedback.

If during the course of the investigation, a Health Inspector needs to contact you, you can expect him/her to:

• be courteous and helpful at all times

• enforce laws and regulations without any prejudices

• be consistent in all investigations

• maintain full confidentiality in all cases.

You can help us conduct successful complaints investigations by:

• lodging complaints which are relevant to public health only

• giving us accurate information

• being courteous and helpful (some investigations may require you to give evidence in Court).

We continuously strive to provide a service that meets your needs and we welcome any comments and suggestions for service improvement. Kindly give us your comments by filling in a feedback form and leaving it in the suggestion box that we have made available in all our offices.

All information is correct at time of going to print. Updated information is available on the Charter Support Unit website and on the Department's website.

First published October 2001