The Ta’ Qali Animal Hospital is set to reopen next year, having been closed since 2023. 

Education Minister Clifton Grima and Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo had previously said that the hospital would reopen at the start of the current academic year and serve as a campus for students training as veterinarians. But that reopening has been delayed, for undisclosed reasons. 

The hospital closed after a number of machines suffered extensive damage from a power surge. 

MCAST had been 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.  

“Work is progressing towards issuing a public tender for the animal hospital’s operations, with internal feasibility studies already conducted to ensure the financial viability and necessary upgrades for the facility,” an education spokesperson told Times of Malta. 

“The hospital is expected to open in 2025, at which point students will be able to utilise it for their practical training.”

Education Minister Clifton Grima said the institution was still “on track” to serve as a training facility for students.

Eight students eligible for new course

An MCAST spokesperson said 29 students had applied for the UAB Masters of Science in Veterinary Medicine, with only eight students eligible and registered to begin. 

“Entrance exams took place in September, and the course is scheduled to start in November, as originally planned in coordination with the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) to ensure the availability of their staff and facilities.”

The spokesperson explained that each unit in the course will feature a "blended learning approach" with a combination of face-to-face and online lectures. 

"Both local and visiting lecturers will contribute, with Malta-based lecturers being supervised by UAB staff, while others will be taught directly by UAB lecturers with MCAST lecturers involved for capacity-building."