A nationwide emergency veterinary service providing overnight care is set to begin operating on January 26th, offering limited after-hours coverage at a time when Malta continues to face widespread criticism over gaps in emergency animal healthcare.
According to an official announcement, one emergency veterinary clinic will be available each night, staffed by licensed veterinarians operating between 8:00pm and 8:00am, including Sundays and public holidays. The service is intended to provide assistance during hours when private veterinary clinics are typically closed, particularly late at night.
The initiative aims to ensure that, in cases of urgent medical need, pet owners have access to veterinary care even outside standard operating hours. Authorities said the service is designed to offer reassurance that animals requiring immediate attention will have a place to receive treatment when no other options are available.
The launch of the service comes against the backdrop of continued public concern over the prolonged closure of the Ta’ Qali Animal Hospital, which has been shut since August 2023 following extensive damage caused by a power surge. The hospital was Malta’s only national 24/7 veterinary emergency facility, and its closure has left the islands without a centralised emergency animal hospital for nearly two years.
Animal welfare activists and NGOs have repeatedly raised alarms about the lack of overnight veterinary care, particularly following a series of distressing cases shared publicly by animal rights campaigners and grieving pet owners. These accounts described unanswered emergency calls, clinics refusing walk-ins, and animals left without timely medical intervention during critical hours.
In response to mounting pressure, the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights had announced a temporary emergency veterinary scheme, to be implemented in collaboration with the Veterinary Surgeons’ Council. The scheme involves rotating participation by private clinics across different regions of Malta and Gozo, with financial incentives offered to encourage involvement.
However, veterinarians and animal welfare organisations have raised concerns about the scheme’s scope, consistency, and sustainability, arguing that a rotating clinic model does not replace the need for a fully operational national animal hospital.
The introduction of the overnight service on January 26th is being presented by authorities as an interim measure to address emergencies occurring outside normal clinic hours. Officials maintain that the service will provide a critical safety net for pet owners until the Ta’ Qali Animal Hospital reopens, which was expected to take place sometime in 2025, and now ‘in the coming weeks’, which could mean anything from next week to next year.
Animal welfare advocates, meanwhile, continue to stress that while any expansion of emergency access is welcome, the situation highlights the ongoing absence of a permanent, fully resourced 24/7 veterinary hospital. They argue that temporary measures do not resolve systemic shortcomings that have already been linked to avoidable animal suffering.
The effectiveness of the new service is likely to be closely monitored, particularly in light of recent public scrutiny and calls for greater transparency, accountability, and long-term investment in Malta’s emergency veterinary infrastructure.
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