Be the first to comment!World Animal Day: PN calls for animal hospital to be reopened
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Today marks World Animal Day, and the Nationalist Party is appealing to the to Government to reopen the animal hospital, which has now been closed for over 26 months.
In a statement, Janice Abela Chetcuti Shadow Minister for Animal Welfare, highlighted that it was a Nationalist Government that strengthened the protection of animals by establishing the Directorate for Animal Welfare and, for the first time, introduced strong enforcement against those who abused animals in any way. She added that “it was also a Nationalist Government that opened the San Frangisk Centre.”
This was the first and only animal hospital in Malta, offering round-the-clock medical care and services for animals, seven days a week, ensuring that help was available at any hour if an animal needed urgent treatment.
Ms Chetcuti pointed out that “regrettably, this hospital has now been closed for over 26 months – clear proof of how little Robert Abela’s Government cares about the health of our animals.”
She stated that “many families have, during this period, lost beloved pets because they required urgent medical attention and could not find any other veterinary clinic open during the hours the hospital once operated.”
Despite repeated questions, Ms Chetcuti said that the Government continues to remain silent on when the hospital will reopen, while also failing to provide any alternative solutions in the meantime.
“This has left pet owners living in constant fear that, should their animal require emergency care at unusual hours, they may lose their companion forever. Sadly, such cases are reported almost every week,” she said.
Ms Chetcuti insisted that a new Nationalist Government is committed “not only to reopening the Animal Hospital and restoring this vital project, but also to expanding the services it offers. It will create further benefits for those who feed and care for abandoned animals, provide stronger support for the protection of farm animals, and introduce additional safeguards for exotic species.”
She concluded by saying that “the PN will also ensure that existing animal welfare laws are properly enforced, so that animals are genuinely and fully protected under the law.”
Screenshot: PN
