The Ta' Qali animal hospital is set to reopen later this year and will now provide training for veterinary students.
In a press conference on Friday, Education Minister Clifton Grima and Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo announced that the hospital will finally reopen at the start of the next academic year.
A specific date for the re-opening of the hospital was not announced. A spokesperson for the Animal Rights Ministry confirmed this with Times of Malta, saying that the building is currently "fully functional" and that the process of having it transferred to MCAST, who will be running the course, is still underway.
Animal rights activists have been urging authorities to reopen the facility since its closure, with Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina naming it as one of the "enduring challenges" that must be urgently addressed.
While all vet clinics are required to provide round-the-clock service, only a few approved clinics offer essential facilities such as X-rays, ultrasounds, overnight stays and diagnostic services, Bezzina pointed out.
Minister Refalo said that the hospital had to be shut down due to a power surge that severely damaged much of the equipment that the facility relied on to function.
However, workers have been tirelessly focused on its repair and the hospital will now also be able to provide long-term medical care for its patients.
On the news that veterinary care education is now going to be offered in Malta, Education Minister Clifton Grima acknowledged that previously students in Malta who wanted to become veterinarians had to study overseas to qualify, which is why the government had opened scholarships to support people who chose this career path.
But the reopening of the animal hospital marks a "significant leap forward" as it will finally allow Maltese students to become vets without having to leave the country, he said.
Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said said the expansion of the animal hospital into a teaching hospital for vets will serve to continue expanding the range of animal care that pets can receive in Malta.