{"id":55950,"date":"2026-03-13T14:45:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T13:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/?p=55950"},"modified":"2026-03-13T14:45:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T13:45:58","slug":"tourist-eco-contributions-fund-new-e1-2-million-hyperbaric-unit-at-gozo-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/13\/tourist-eco-contributions-fund-new-e1-2-million-hyperbaric-unit-at-gozo-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Tourist eco-contributions fund new \u20ac1.2 million Hyperbaric Unit at Gozo Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Eco-contributions paid by tourists are funding a state-of-the-art \u20ac1.2 million Hyperbaric Unit in Gozo, to improve the safety of diving experiences on the islands, while facilitating the provision of several medical services to many other patients at the Gozo General Hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, Minister for Health and Active Ageing, Jo Etienne Abela, and Minister for Gozo and Planning, Clint Camilleri, announced this investment during a visit to the Gozo General Hospital and a meeting with diving instructors at the Xatt l-A\u0127mar dive site, along with representatives of the Gozo Tourism Association and the Professional Diving Schools Association.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_55952\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-55952\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pr260411d.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-55952\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pr260411d-300x171.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"171\" srcset=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pr260411d-300x171.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pr260411d-150x86.jpeg 150w, http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pr260411d.jpeg 526w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-55952\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Hyperbaric Unit at Gozo Hospital<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The new six-person hyperbaric unit will replace an existing one-person chamber at the Gozo General Hospital, which was no longer sufficient to meet the Island\u2019s requirements, especially the growing demand from the diving tourism sector. The new chamber will increase capacity for several medical services, including emergency treatment of divers suffering from decompression sickness, and other therapies required by the hospital\u2019s patients.<\/p>\n<p>With a therapeutic range of up to 50 metres of seawater and mixed gas capability, the new chamber allows advanced recompression protocols to be delivered to several divers at the same time, while safely accommodating an attendant. This significantly strengthens the resilience of the Gozo Hospital\u2019s emergency services.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Crucial investment for higher value diving tourism in Gozo \u2013 implementing the Malta Vision 2050<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deputy Prime Minister Borg explained that diving tourism is one of the value-added niches that the Government is actively supporting to implement the objectives of Malta Vision 2050, specifically macro measure 4, towards a more resilient, diversified all-year tourism offering with higher-value, authentic visitor experiences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith some 40 popular dive sites, Gozo has become a hub for technical and deep diving, attracting many divers from across the world. By investing tourism funds for this advanced hyperbaric chamber, we are supporting the development of diving tourism in Gozo. This project is also providing superior facilities for the safety of local professional divers and diving enthusiasts, while contributing to better health services for Gozo residents, reaffirming our commitment towards a tourism model that benefits local communities,\u201d Dr Borg said.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Jo Etienne Abela explained that this investment will not only support divers who visit the Maltese Islands but will also help patients who may need pressurised oxygen (hyperbaric oxygen) to speed up their recovery, for example in the treatment of wounds and certain infections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is another promise fulfilled at the Gozo General Hospital. I am confident that many people will benefit from this project, and we remain committed to continue strengthening medical services for Gozitans in Gozo,\u201d Dr Abela said.<\/p>\n<p>Minister Clint Camilleri stated that \u201ca new hyperbaric unit has been inaugurated in Gozo at the Gozo General Hospital, following an investment of \u20ac1.2 million. This will further strengthen Gozo as a diving destination, with the reassurance that in case of need it can provide treatment to six persons at once. This facility is indispensable to keep attracting more tourists for diving experiences in Gozo. It offers a peace of mind that will surely bring more divers to the island. I commend everyone involved in this initiative, which is coming to fruition today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The long-term lease of the new hyperbaric unit at the Gozo General Hospital is one of several projects funded through eco-contributions paid by tourists visiting Malta and Gozo. The fund is administered by the Tourism Projects Advisory Committee, which is composed of representatives of the Tourism Ministry, the Malta Tourism Authority and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association. Among other projects funded through eco-contributions, there are several initiatives in tourism zones, including the ongoing regeneration of the Bu\u0121ibba Square.<\/p>\n<p>The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Christopher Cutajar, the Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Tourism Authority, Carlo Micallef, and other officials accompanied the three ministers during this event.<\/p>\n<p><em>Photos (ODPM-MFT\/MHA\/MGP)<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_55950\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"55950\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eco-contributions paid by tourists are funding a state-of-the-art \u20ac1.2 million Hyperbaric Unit in Gozo, to improve the safety of diving experiences on the islands, while facilitating the provision of several medical services to many other patients at the Gozo General Hospital. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, Minister for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_55950\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"55950\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 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Lynch","author_link":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/author\/bernardlynch\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Eco-contributions paid by tourists are funding a state-of-the-art \u20ac1.2 million Hyperbaric Unit in Gozo, to improve the safety of diving experiences on the islands, while facilitating the provision of several medical services to many other patients at the Gozo General Hospital. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, Minister for&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55953,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55950\/revisions\/55953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/livenewsmalta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}