It is both unbelievable and unacceptable that the country is still waiting for the re-opening of the animal hospital in Ta’ Qali.
The animal hospital closed 26 months ago in 2023 after a power surge damaged equipment, and since then animal lovers and pet owners have been complaining about the situation. It was meant to reopen back in 2024, but was delayed.
Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said had told this newsroom that the hospital had operated on public land passed on via emphyteusis by the government to the private sector, and that prior to the power surge, the government had been asked to change the conditions of the emphyteusis as the hospital was “not economically viable with the conditions (at the time)”.
Thankfully the situation now seems close to being resolved. Just this week, Education Minister Clifton Grima responded to a Parliamentary Question posed by PN MP Janice Chetcuti. He said that MCAST, with the assistance of the Animal Rights Ministry, is undergoing a Negotiated Procedure for the hospital to again open and start offering its necessary services.
During oral PQs in Parliament, he went further and said that procurement procedures are in their final stage and that an economic operator that can run the hospital together with MCAST has been found. He said that the animal hospital will open in the coming weeks.
The minister said that MCAST is involved in the hospital as the government saw the opportunity to offer space for veterinary students to learn and practice in a larger, more complex environment, and because government was able to take this unique opportunity to have MCAST involved in the running of the hospital.
The fact that MCAST is involved also helps with the economic viability issues.
Earlier this year, the government had launched a new scheme whereby pet owners would have access to a emergency veterinary services even outside office hours. This was an issue pet owners were facing when the animal hospital had closed. But problems remained. An article by MaltaToday read that a dog owner raised concerns over the animal emergency services after their pet died due to being unable to get urgent pet care. “I spent the early hours of Thursday dialling vet after vet, but no one picked up. Our dog lost her life because no one was there. This so-called emergency service left us with nothing but trauma. The system has failed us,” it quotes the owner as saying.
This highlights the importance of having a 24 hour animal hospital in the country. Pets quickly become part of the family, and seeing a pet in pain or ill takes an emotional toll. Ensuring that there is a permanent 24/7 place where pet owners can take their animals for medical help if they are ill or injured goes a long way to improving chances of survival in serious cases, and alleviates the emotional stress for the owners.
While it must be said that the animal hospital should not have been closed for so long, it is good to hear that this situation now seems close to being resolved.
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