The Minister for Health and Active Ageing Jo Etienne Abela has announced the Masterplan that will lead to the development of a new Hospital at Gozo General Hospital, the renovation and expansion of St. Luke’s Hospital and the renovation of Boffa Hospital.
The Government is continuing to advance a long-term vision for the transformation of Gozo General Hospital into a modern and resilient healthcare campus that serves the needs of the Gozitan and Maltese people. At the same time, the project to regenerate St Luke’s Hospital into a modern health village will be one of the largest long-term investments in public health infrastructure in Malta, spread over a period of 15 years.
The Healthcare Campus Masterplan exercise has now been concluded, and the project is entering the next phase of design development and preparation of the calls for tenders required for implementation. The study analysed the demographics and future health needs in Malta and Gozo, identified gaps in existing services and defined future needs.
Minister Jo Etienne Abela said that over the past few months, technical studies, geotechnical investigations, health services planning and the drafting of the campus Masterplan have been carried out, which together are forming the foundation of this national project. At the same time, preparatory works have already begun to relocate the northern part of the campus to build the new hospital. Among the permanent infrastructure that is at an advanced stage is the new helipad, which is expected to start operating in the third quarter of this year. Dr Abela explained how this project aims to increase the hospital’s capacity, introduce new specialist services, strengthen emergency preparedness, reduce waiting times and bring more quality healthcare closer to the Gozitan community.
“The Government continues to commit itself to continuing to build health systems that serve the patient in an excellent manner. We are committed to making our systems ready for the future”, concluded Dr Abela.
Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg thanked the Ministry of Health, the administration of these hospitals and the local and international experts involved for wisely designing a feasible plan, which acknowledges the circumstances of the past years and with determination looks ahead to offer solutions for the future health needs of patients in Malta and Gozo.
“I note with satisfaction that the first phases of this plan are already being implemented, both at the Gozo Hospital and at the St. Luke’s and Karin Grech Hospitals in Malta. At the same time, it is much more important that year after year, the Government is continuing to tangibly strive to improve the quality of health services that patients receive from the hospitals we currently have, with better conditions for the workers so dedicated in this field, new equipment and an ever-growing range of medical services, both in Malta and Gozo,” stated Dr Borg.
