The new Gozo General Hospital helipad is reducing emergency patient transfer times to Mater Dei Hospital by approximately 10 minutes, facilitating quicker access to urgent specialised treatment, the Health Ministry and Gozo Ministry said in a joint statement. 

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health Ian Borg and Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri inaugurated the €800,000 project, developed by the Foundation for Medical Services in conjunction with Gozo General Hospital. 

Located within the hospital grounds, the new helipad enables patients to be transferred directly from Gozo General Hospital to Mater Dei Hospital by air ambulance, eliminating the 10-minute ambulance journey to the Xewkija Heliport previously required for these transfers. 

This development is essential for patients in Gozo requiring urgent specialist care at Mater Dei, the country’s principal acute hospital, including heart attacks and other serious cardiac emergencies, acute strokes, major trauma and other life-threatening conditions. 

Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg noted that the new helipad supports the Government’s commitment to ensure people in Malta and Gozo have timely, safe access to acute medical care, regardless of location. 

“In 2025, 130 patients required emergency helicopter transfers from Gozo to Mater Dei Hospital. Since it was commissioned a few weeks ago, the new helipad has already facilitated three patient transfers. The time we are saving in these transfers shows how healthcare infrastructure, coupled with the efforts and collaboration of our dedicated teams at the two hospitals, can make a tangible difference to the care we provide to our patients. These precious minutes can save lives,” Dr Borg said.  

Minister Clint Camilleri stated that the new helipad at Gozo General Hospital is an important step towards further improving healthcare services in Gozo and ensuring that patients requiring urgent specialised care can reach Mater Dei Hospital in the shortest possible time. 

Minister Camilleri explained that “now that transfers can take place directly from the hospital, we are saving precious minutes which, in emergency situations, can make a significant difference and even save lives. This investment is part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in Gozo and to continue developing Gozo General Hospital into a centre that provides more accessible, efficient and high-quality services, for the benefit of Gozitan patients and their families.” 

The Foundation for Medical Services launched this project earlier this year, coordinating the construction and other associated civil, mechanical and electrical engineering works. The helipad is equipped with perimeter and touchdown lighting to support night operations, along with other safety features. 

In recent weeks, the Foundation and Gozo General Hospital completed the required testing and certification processes, with support from Gulfmed Aviation Services, the air ambulance service contractor, as well as training and simulated patient transfer exercises for the Hospital’s emergency teams, firefighters, and other personnel. 

In December 2024, the Foundation for Medical Services implemented a similar project to upgrade and reopen the Mater Dei Hospital helipad, which had been out of operation for several years due to technical difficulties. Together, these two projects are reducing emergency patient transfer times from Gozo to Mater Dei by 25 minutes. 

The new helipad at Gozo General Hospital forms part of a wider investment programme aimed at strengthening healthcare services in Gozo. Gozo General Hospital is currently undertaking and planning several projects, including expanding the Outpatients Department, developing a new Pharmacy Department with advanced automated preparation of oncology treatments, expanding oncology services, improving diagnostic and laboratory facilities, and upgrading operating theatres and critical care facilities. 

These initiatives form part of the hospital’s broader development strategy, which will ultimately culminate in the transformation of Gozo General Hospital into a modern healthcare campus, providing the Island with more comprehensive, accessible and high-quality healthcare services.