Minister Jo Etienne Abela and Parliamentary Secretary Malcolm Paul Agius Galea launched the first dialysis service at St. Vincent de Paul, making this the first Renal Unit outside of Mater Dei Hospital.
It was explained how this project, with an investment of €380,000, will offer essential care to patients over 60 years of age who suffer from kidney disease and require regular dialysis, whether they are residents of St. Vincent de Paul, as well as elderly people living in the community. The Renal Unit includes 6 dialysis machines, one of which will be used as a back-up in case of emergency.
Minister for Health and Active Ageing Jo Etienne Abela said that this service is now available in St. Vincent’s itself without the inconvenience of the patient having to travel to receive the necessary care. He said that it is estimated that up to 70 dialysis sessions will be carried out per week.
“Today we are witnessing the launch of the first of three projects related to dialysis care. Our goal is that in the near future, this service will begin to be provided from the Ċensu Moran Regional Centre as well as from the north of Malta. As announced in the Budget, this is the first step that will eventually lead to the service expanding to an 18-machine project in the coming months. We are committed to continuing to offer the best care to our patients in the heart of the community,” concluded Dr Abela.
Parliamentary Secretary for Active Ageing Malcolm Paul Agius Galea reiterated the importance of bringing more services, even highly specialised ones such as dialysis, closer to senior citizens. “It is therefore essential that as a Government we continue to offer more and more opportunities, services and new facilities so that our seniors can live this phase of their lives with more comfort,” concluded Dr Agius Galea.
