The Gozo Tourism Association has said today that it welcomes positively the signing of the agreement, between the Government of Malta and the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, of Queen Mary University, for the setting up of a campus hosting a medical and dental school on the site of the Gozo General Hospital.

The set up of such a medical teaching institution is considered by the Gozo Tourism Association, “as an encouraging step forward to stimulate the socio and economic development on the Island of Gozo.”

The Gozo Tourism Association representing the various sectors of the Gozitan tourism industry, said that it firmly believes that such a medical school, will not only elevate the status of the Gozo General Hospital, but it will also brand Gozo internationally in the medical sector.

“Furthermore the proposed public-private partnership plan in health care for Gozo, dovetails perfectly with health tourism, one of the niches that we are striving to establish, develop and promote for Destination Gozo.”

“We are confident, that the setting up of the medical school and the medical hub on our Island, will open up new horizons, not only in the medical sector, but their multiplier effect will be most beneficial to the whole tourism industry on Gozo. It will definitely support the tourism sector on Gozo in mitigating its seasonality element, whilst creating new job opportunities,” the GTA said.

To this end, the Gozo Tourism Association, said that it “not only underlines the importance of such developments, but insists that the opening of these facilities are an obligation towards the socio-economic growth for the benefit of the Gozitan Island.”

Earlier today during the signing of the agreement, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that, “the setting up of the Barts Gozo Campus, which will host 300 mostly foreign students with an intake of 60 students for every academic year, is an important moment in the history of this island.”

He stated that “this will pave the way for what is by far the biggest direct foreign investment Gozo has ever seen. And it places Gozo on the world map – as an island that will become known for producing some of the finest medics in Europe.”

The Gozo Campus and its undergraduate courses will be marketed around the globe. We are expecting a good number of students from Europe, North America and the Middle East, said the Prime Minister.

“This agreement will pave the way for a €200 million investment in our healthcare infrastructure creating 1,200 new healthcare related jobs in Malta and Gozo..

“The existing Gozo General Hospital will be redeveloped. The total capacity will increase from 291 to 450 beds, with 125 of them being utilised for medical tourism, while at the same time expanding the spaces and services for locals,” Dr Muscat said.

“St. Luke’s Hospital will come back into life. There will be a rehabilitation area, fully equipped labs for CT Scans, PET Scans and MRIs and a new dermatology centre servicing about 35,000 outpatients yearly.

“The Karin Grech premises will be renovated too, to accommodate 270 long term geriatric patients. All these three hospitals will be upgraded to be in the Mater Dei class.”

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