The Ministry of Health, through the Foundation for Medical Services (FMS), is working on a €12 million project intended to upgrade the National Blood Transfusion Service.
Proposals have already been submitted to the Planning Authority to move the current premises from St Luke's Hospital to an area in San Gwann Industrial Estate, close to Mater Dei Hospital. Co-funding from the EU 2014-2020 Fund is available for the project and will include all medical equipment and furniture. The new centre will be managed by the Ministry of Health.
The facility is set to cater for several requirements, including some new services, as well as having a positive impact on the surroundings from an aesthetic and environmental perspective. The new centre will ensure the continuation of the current core services whilst supporting the introduction of new services that will allow for the development of new therapeutic strategies for Malta.
While blood donation will continue to be based at the current facility in Gwardamanġa, the new facility will incorporate a number of outpatient health services, such as laboratories for blood processing, blood testing, microbiology and quality control, and will also include clean room facilities that will permit cell and tissue manipulation.
The new services planned will also include HLA typing facilities, stem cell and bone marrow banking. HLA typing is used to match patients and donors for bone marrow or cord blood transplants.
The introduction of these new activities will complement the new Oncology Hospital and bring an end to the need to go abroad for treatment when undergoing intensive chemotherapy or radiology treatment that needs to be supported by stem cell transplants.
The facility will require a number of specialised staff, some of whom will be trained from the current complement of scientists. The project is also set to radically improve the work environment, benefitting both patients and employees, while also offering new opportunities for scientists, staff and health sciences students.
The new blood transfusion centre will eliminate the current limitations at St. Luke's Hospital, mostly due to the restrictions by virtue of its size, current build and layout and cater for the specific demands of local physicians.
An artist's impression of the new building shows the facility being named as 'The Life Treasury'.
A new blood transfusion centre has been a long time coming, with original plans proposed in 2007 for a centre in Attard. This location was scrapped when the Planning Authority pointed out several limitations, including height restrictions. In 2013, the site now proposed for the current project was planned for the new blood transfusion centre. The project then was also set to include new services involving stem cells harvesting. The project then was planned to have a new blood donation unit within the centre.