The Malta Veterinary Association has been following the recent letters published in your Sunday paper regarding the Veterinary Emergency Service. The association deems it necessary to clarify to the public how the system works and what to expect from the emergency service.The Malta Veterinary Association set up an Emergency Service in 1999 with the scope of offering veterinary service when clinics are normally closed. A roster is set up whereby all veterinarians participating in the system take it in turn to be on call 24/7. When a person calls the emergency number (50043888) he will be contacting a call centre.

The Call Centre immediately sends an SMS text message to the veterinary surgeon on duty. The receipt of the text message is confirmed by phone. The veterinary surgeon will then contact the person that requires assistance. It is left to the discretion of the veterinarian to decide how to see to the animal that needs urgent veterinary care. The vet would normally ask the client to bring the sick animal to his clinic. Due to the number of concomitant cases, it is normally impossible for the veterinarian to leave his clinic during the time he is on call. Moreover, veterinary clinics in Malta do not have an ambulance service.

The cost of the emergency call is currently e5.50 including VAT. This covers the cost of the services provided by the call centre and those of the telephone company providing the premium number. The minimum cost of the emergency visit is e29.50 including VAT. However, the cost may increase depending on the therapy provided and the procedures carried out. When the Emergency Service was set up the use of cellular mobile phones was still limited in Malta and for this reason telephone calls can only be made from fixed lines.

The MVA fully appreciates that cellular mobile phones are now widespread and, for this reason, the association is working to extend the service to mobile phones in the near future.As in any other emergency system, the public must appreciate the fact that cases are seen according to their urgency.

Consequently, despite the attending vet’s best effort, waiting times may vary. The MVA would also like to stress that the service should be reserved to urgent cases only.

Dr Quentin Lawson Secretary

Malta Veterinary Association