The animal hospital in Ta' Qali has been closed for over fourteen months, remains "neglected and abandoned" by the government and Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo despite the Minister saying it will open soon for over a year, the Nationalist Party said on Thursday.

Nationalist MPs Justin Schembri and Janice Abela Chetcuti, speaking outside of the closed animal hospital, commented that it has only been through continuous Parliamentary Questions that it was discovered that the hospital will no longer be the responsibility of the Animal Rights Minister, but will instead fall under the Education Minister's responsibility.

This transfer was likely due to the government saying that the hospital is set to open and be used as part of MCAST's veterinary course which is being offered in collaboration with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), a Spanish university. The PN MPs said that the government had promised in August 2023 that the hospital would reopen to offer veterinary services and that an agreement had been made with MCAST that the veterinary course would be offered at the hospital.

With that in mind, the PN MPs remarked that the veterinary course, "which was supposed to start this academic year," is being jeopardised due to the hospital still being closed.

Abela Chetcuti said that establishing the veterinary hospital was a dream of the nationalist government, and continued that the dream became a reality twelve years ago when the St. Francis Centre was opened, "eventually turning into a top-level veterinary hospital".

She said that this was the only hospital in Malta which offered unique medical services and treatment for animals, as well as being the only hospital or clinic of its kind with an isolation area for contagious diseases. She spoke of the reassurance and peace of mind that the hospital gave to families with pets, but continued that with the hospital being closed, it is "creating additional pressure and a serious gap in the field".

Abela Chetcuti said that there is a large influx of animals being taken to small clinics which are not equipped to offer specialised intensive care services or do not have the necessary spaces for isolation when specific illnesses are involved.

Having said that, the PN is asking what will happen to animals found by the Animal Welfare Directorate after being picked up by the animal ambulance. It also asked if any agreement has been made on this process, and how the hospital will be supervised by two different Ministers and a Parliamentary Secretary.

Schembri said that the PN has been calling for a veterinary course for years due to recognising the importance of having such a course in Malta. He continued that however, there are still "many unanswered questions and serious doubts" regarding the course which is being offered by MCAST in collaboration with UAB.

He said that the government needs to confirm whether the course has the approval of the Veterinary Regulatory Council in Malta so that warrants for practice can be issued. He continued that the government should clarify whether the course is accredited, "given that the UAB must adopt the European approach to accredit it according to European standards". He said that the warrant is to be issued in line with Annex 5 of the Professionals Qualifications Directive, and commented that although UAB is listed in Annex 5, "it does not have the authority to offer this course jointly with MCAST".

As a result of this, Schembri said that the eight MCAST students starting this course do not have the assurance that they will be granted the warrant. He remarked that it would be irresponsible to start the course as planned if it is not accredited. He also referred to the lack of consultation with the Malta Veterinary Association, saying that the MVA had spoken in February of not being consulted by the government before announcing its plans for the veterinary course.

Education Ministry responds to PN statements

The Ministry for Education issued a statement in reaction to the news conference held earlier on Thursday by Nationalist MPs Janice Abela Chetcuti and Justin Schembri.

The Ministry said that the Opposition's spokespersons "ignored the fact that the Ministry has already made all the information about the course and the animal hospital public".

Speaking about MCAST's veterinary medicine course, the Ministry said that 29 students had applied, but only 8 were found to have all the necessary criteria and were therefore considered eligible to start the course. It continued that these 8 students will start the course and their training in November, "as already publicly announced and as planned". It added that the course is starting in November due to the availability of lecturers.

Regarding the lecturers, the Ministry said that the course will involve both local and foreign lecturers who will teach the students both in the classroom and through online lessons. The Ministry also said that consultation was held with the Veterinary Surgeons' Council, which it commented is responsible for the warrant. Concerning the Malta Veterinary Association, it said that MCAST met with the MVA and committed to keep in constant contact with them.

On the matter of the animal hospital itself, the Ministry said that a tender related to the hospital's operation will be published and that an internal feasibility study was already carried out to ensure the financial viability as well as to know the needs of the facility so that it is updated as necessary.

The Ministry concluded that the animal hospital is set to open in 2025 so that it will also be available to the students of the course. It continued that, as is MCAST's practice, the students will have practical training linked to their teaching.