'New' emergency vet service scheme already existed for 12 years, PN claims
Opposition slams the government for failing to be clear when the Ta' Qali Animal Hospital will reopen
The latest emergency vet service scheme launched by the government has existed for over 12 years, according to the Nationalist Party.
Last week, the government announced a new 24/7 emergency vet service scheme to be offered from various licensed clinics.
The scheme is in collaboration with the Veterinary Surgeons Council, and will be offered in three regions- Gozo, the Northern region of Malta and the southern region. Licensed clinics in the regions have been invited to participate through a rotation system.
The new scheme is meant to be filling the gap of the Ta’ Qali Animal Hospital, which closed back in 2023, and used to provide emergency services during hours when veterinary services were unavailable.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Animal Welfare Shadow Minister Janice Abela Chetcuti said such a service, which is being branded as “new”, has already been around for over 12 years, with an emergency number available for pet owners to call and be served by a vet on duty that day.
PN candidate Andrew Agius, who is also a vet, was present during the conference.
Chetcuti explained how this service is doing "nothing new", and the government is admitting that the service will be offered until the animal hospital reopens. She said the government failed to give a guarantee of when the Ta’Qali hospital will reopen.
Last year, the Education Minister said the hospital is due to open at the end of 2025. MCAST was previously awarded a concession to run the facility and use it for its Master’s Programme in Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) of Spain.
Both Agius and Chetcuti highlighted how the service will now limit what is currently available. They explained how the service will be offered on a rotating basis in three regions, but it depends on how many veterinary clinics apply.
Agius said currently, there are no vet clinics in the North of Malta, and in Gozo, there are only three clinics.
“This means the government is offering a scheme which it knows is destined to fail,” he said.
Agius also flagged how the new service fails to solve a current problem pet owners are facing, which is that no vet clinics in Malta or Gozo can keep animals after clinic hours so they can continue providing the necessary treatment to the animal.