A state of the art residential palliative care facility is being set up through an agreement between the Church and the Malta Hospice Movement.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna announced that the Archdiocese of Malta will be providing a complex worth some €8million to the Hospice Movement to run as St Michael Hospice for people with terminal illness. It is expected to receive its first patients by 2021.

The building, today known as the Adelaide Cini Institute in Sta Venera, has a 9,000 square meter floor plan over two levels, and a large garden.

Infrastructural works on the building are to start once the permits are obtained from the Planning Authority.

The building and its massive gardens. Photo: Google Maps

The joint venture between the Archdiocese and Hospice Malta follows an announcement by Archbishop Charles Scicluna back in 2016 that palliative care would be offered to terminally ill patients. 

Mgr Scicluna said this residential facility will be a service to the people of Malta and the dignity of the patients. This, he said, was a worthy response to a need felt by society. 

Maria Gatt, who chairs the Hospice, told the Times of Malta that the facility would be a collaborative effort with several stakeholders.

She pointed to the need for specialized doctors, nurses, and other staff, as well as the need for modern equipment to help patients suffering from terminal conditions.

The government is expected to be fronting a significant amount of funding to run the facility, while the Hospice Movement, through charitable activities and fundraising efforts will also be helping to pay for care patients receive.

Some 2,000 Maltese are diagnosed with cancer every year.