The generosity of the Maltese nation is well documented, and I write this as my personal testimonial to this great virtue. It comes after experiencing first hand a nationwide fundraising marathon, which resulted in donations totalling €311,000: funds that will go towards the refurbishment of the proposed St Michael Hospice project in Santa Venera.
The site of the project, known as Adelaide Cini Institute, has a long history of being of service to the community, and Hospice aspires to further maintain this spirit of service to alleviate the trauma of serious illness with all its implications.
The Hospice concept is nothing new: Hospice Malta has been in existence for the past 32 years, thanks to the foresight and altruism of its founders. It has grown substantially, keeping in step with the increase of referrals for its sterling services, which are provided free of charge, for the duration of the illness and beyond.
The purpose of this short article is not to applaud Hospice per se, but to publicly thank all the people who continue to work hard towards achieving this dream of centralising all Hospice efforts into one building, with a professionally planned layout to give ultimate benefit to patients and their families when life has dealt them a severe blow.
The scope is to offer comprehensive palliative care at this most sensitive of times, and the task is far from easy. We are blessed with a team of professionals who daily offer themselves selflessly to assist families beset by such circumstances.
Scope is to offer comprehensive palliative care
Patient-centred care is precisely what the term implies: the programme of care is agreed upon by the patient and family upon the advice of the care team. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach ‒ each care regime is tailormade to suit each specific patient.
The ultimate goal of Hospice is to assess each patient, review and implement a plan of action accordingly, to ensure that every single day of life is made meaningful notwithstanding the circumstances. Can anyone put a price on this? Many, many, many families concur that this is priceless.
After experiencing Hospice, several family members came forward to share details of their most intimate and poignant memories in a spirit of deep solidarity to spread awareness of this most humane of endeavours. On behalf of Hospice, I extend my most profound gratitude to these generous souls who shared their personal experiences in an effort to promote the Hospice ethos further. Generosity comes in many guises.
With this ethos in mind, Hospice has embarked on a mammoth project that will ensure it is in a position to offer its precious service to Hospice patients at precisely the time when it is needed. We are under no illusions that Hospice alone will achieve this. This is a project of national importance.
We rely on the goodwill of every citizen. The Hospice appeal has been well received by many: it is the spirit of solidarity which makes the donation so vital, not necessarily the size of the donation itself. Hospice appeals to all to be part of this journey.
We publicly thank all entities and members of the public who have already accepted to join this national effort through their donations of time as well as money. This endorsement serves as a major boost of support to all who are committed to make St Michael Hospice a reality as soon as possible for the benefit of all.
Donations can be made by visiting www.hospicemalta.org or by sending a cheque to Hospice Malta, 39 Good Shepherd Avenue, Balzan.
Bernadette Bonnici Kind, Chairperson, Hospice Malta